Treasure Planet: Written In The Stars
by staringattheskyline
Summary: "I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, such as riding through a restricted area on a solar surfer thinking I wouldn't get caught, picking fights with the roughest members of a ship crew, and even trusted a pirate with my life. But the biggest mistake I've ever made was falling in love with a girl who was second in command of a mutiny. " -Jim Hawkins
1. The Beginning

**AN: So I originally titled this story as The Adventure Of A Lifetime because I had no idea what to call it. Buttt I changed it because I finally thought of a better title since I HATED the old one:p This is my very first story I've posted online, so go a little easy on the criticism please! I would really appreciate any pointers or ideas from anyone! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet**

Chapter 1

Adventure. Thrill. Amazement. Those three words described my present mood as I was solar surfing.

I was flying on a plateau that eventually led to a canyon. I soared over the gap between the two and decided to kick things up a notch. I guided my surfer into the air. After I was a good thousand feet up, I hit the button on the back of my board and closed my eyes. I started free falling.

My adrenaline was pumping as I flipped and twisted my solar surfer. I turned upside down and started spinning all the way to the bottom of the vast canyon.

"Yahoo!" I screamed as I skimmed my hand on the dusty floor. I accelerated my board as a construction sight came into view. I flipped right-side-up and flew straight flew through a yellow and black restriction gate. I maneuvered around various obstacles until I hit a giant, metallic pipe. I grinded my board on it, giving my board an extra boost of power.

"Woo!" I yelled.

A mining mill came into view as I dodged more pipes. Feeling like a daredevil, I put my sail down and sped up my board.

"C'mon!" I yelled as I tried to get it to go even faster.

I did a sideways flip through a small hole in the mill and flew out the other side.

"Yeah! Woohoo!" I yelled in excitement for actually pulling that off. I started to slow down my board so I could start heading home until I heard an all too familiar siren. I cocked my head slightly to see two robotic air policemen wanting me to pull over.

"Great," I muttered, "Just great."

I flew down to the ground and dismounted my board.

"Trespassing in a restricted area. You are in a lot of trouble young-James? James Hawkins?"

Yeah, this wouldn't be the first time I've broken the law…

"That's me," I confirmed.

"Haven't we caught you trespassing before?" the other bot questioned me.

"Wouldn't surprise me."

One cop took me and secured my hands behind my back and the other took my solar surfer. He took the board and started shoving it into the trunk of his small aircraft.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" I exclaimed angrily.

Both cops burst into a fit of eerie robotic laughter.

"You think you're actually going to get this back?" one asked.

They continued laughing as they started to "escort" me home.

My only solar surfer was headed towards a junkyard. I had worked on it for years and had only just improved it.

It was one of the few things I had left of my dad.

After ten minutes of considering the punishment my mom would give me, we arrived at the old Benbow Inn.

Without warning, one of the cops slammed open the door.

"Mrs. Hawkins," they said in unison.

My mom dropped the stack of dishes in her hands at the sight of the two police-bots.

"Okay, thanks for the lift guys," I said brushing the cop's hand off my shoulder.

"Not so fast," he said as he grabbed my shoulder again.

My mom was over to us before I even had a chance to blink.

"We apprehended your son operating a solar vehicle in a restricted area."

"Moving violation 9-0-4 section fifteen, paragraph…um…"

"Six?" I offered.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Jim!" my mother exclaimed with anger.

"Are you aware ma'am," the bot said, "This constitutes a violation of his probation?

"Yes, she said giving me a glare, "Yes, I understand. C-could we just-"  
>At that time, Dr. Delbert Doppler, one of my mom's closest friends, interrupted.<p>

"Pardon me, officers, if I might…uh…interject here, I am the noted astrophysicist Dr. Delbert Doppler. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

The cops remained silent, staring coldly at Delbert.

"No? Uh, I have a clipping-"

"Are you the boy's father?" one asked.

Both Delbert and my mom were extremely embarrassed by the question.

"No-"

"Good heavens, no-"

"Ew," my mom chuckled nervously while Delbert looked somewhat offended.

"Delbert's just an old friend of the family," she explained taking in Delbert's facial expression.

"Back off, sir!" the policemen exclaimed together.

"Thank you, Delbert," my mom said ushering him away, "I will take it from here."

"Well, Sarah, if you insist," he said, "Don't ever let me do that again."

"Due to repeated violations of the statue 15-C, we have impounded his vehicle. Anymore slip ups will result in a one way ticket to juvenile hall."

"Kiddy hoosegow," one officer supplied.

"The slammo," the other said.

"Thank you officers, it _won't_ happen again."

I couldn't help but slightly wince as my mom emphasized 'won't.'

"We see his type all the time, ma'am," the robot-cop stated.

"Wrong choices," the other one said.

"Losers," they said in unison.

I glared at both cops and their harsh words.

"You take care now," one said while raising his officer hat.

"Let's motor," the other bot said.

I averted my gaze from the wooden floor to my mom's eyes. The Inn was completely silent. Everyone was staring at my mom and me.

She cast them a look and they resumed eating and talking.

"Jim, I have had it. Do you want to go to juvenile hall is that it?"

I turned to pick up dirty dishes on a deserted table.

"Jim-Jim look at me! It's hard enough keeping this place afloat by myself without you going-"

"Mom it's no big deal. There was no one around those cops just won't get off my…"

My mom was waiting for me to finish my excuse so she could continue lecturing me.

"Forget it," I mumbled.

"Jim, I just don't want to see you throw away your entire future," she sighed, turning to attend to a frantic customer.

I picked up the plastic tub containing the dishes and backed into the kitchen.

"Yeah, what future?" I murmured.

I angrily threw the tub next to sink and ran upstairs to my room. I climbed out the window and sat on the rooftop. I scooped up some pebbles and started flicking them off my hand.

Thunder boomed in the sky and lightning flashed. The smell of rain drifted through the air. I sighed and rested my head on the cool railing.

"Dad! Daddy, come here!" I called from downstairs.

I was in my dad's workshop and had just put the finishing touch on my first solar surfer.

"Jimmy, what is-?"

Dad stopped and took in the machinery before him.

"Jim! That's amazing!" he exclaimed while gawking at the solar surfer.

I smiled proudly at his compliment.

"How do you build this so well?" Dad wondered aloud.

Before I had a chance to answer his question, he called my mother down.

"Sarah! Get down here quick!"

Mom ran into the room a few moments later and stopped right in her tracks. Her jaw dropped and her eyes darted from my father to me.

"Jim-you-you did this?"

I nodded, grinning.

"Jim! You're only eight years old! I'm so proud of you!" she proclaimed as she ambushed me in a hug.

"Just wait 'til I teach you to ride it!" Dad grinned.

"Oh, no you won't!" Mom said sternly.

My dad gave me a wink and a smile as if to promise me otherwise. I laughed in delight at my oblivious mother and my future solar surfing lessons.

I smiled at the memory of my parents and the start of my passion for solar surfing.

"I really don't know how you do it, Sarah. Trying to run a business while trying to raise a felon…felon-fellow…fellow like Jim."

I turned to the partially opened window to my left. The voice belonged to none other than Dr. Delbert himself.

"Managing it? I'm at the end of my rope! Ever since his father left, well, Jim's just never recovered. And you know how smart he is! He built his first solar surfer when he was eight!"

It was like she practically read my mind.

"And yet, he's failing at school he is constantly in trouble, and when I talk to him, he's like a stranger to me. I don't know, Delbert. I've tried everything…"

I sighed as I ran my fingers through my dark hair.

Suddenly, a smoking ship crash-landed on the main dock of the Inn.

Alerted, I slid off the roof and took off running towards the wreckage.

"Hey, Mister!" I yelled as I approached the destroyed ship. "Mister you okay in there, right?"

I hit the glass window with my fist as if to signal that help was here.

A clawed hand hit the window in response, startling me in the process.

As the window of the ship opened, an old, turtle-like man fell out. Smoke spewed out of his burning ship, making the poor man wheeze and cough.

"He's a comin'," the man said, clutching the dark cloak he had around him. "Can you 'ear him? All those gears and gyros clickin' an' whirlin' like the devil 'imself?"

He grabbed my collar as he vehemently said his words, and then turned back to his busted ship.

"Hit your head pretty hard there, didn't you?" I asked exceedingly confused.

"He's after me chest," the man said as he picked up an old, beaten up chest that had as many years on it as the old man did.

"That fiendish cyborg and his band of cutthroats!"

With obvious difficulty, the man swung his beloved chest onto his shoulder.

"But he'll have to pry it from ol' Billy Bones' cold, dead fingers afore I-"

The man, apparently names Billy Bones, started coughing violently as he collapsed to the ground.

I knelt down beside him.

"Come on, give me your arm. That's it," I grunted, struggling from the weight of Billy and his precious chest.

I felt cold drops on my face. I looked to they grey sky to see it was starting to pour rain.

"Mom's gonna love this," I muttered sarcastically.

**AN: I know, pretty boring. I promise it'll get way more exciting in the next few chapters! **


	2. Discoveries

**AN: Another filler chapter. Next one will be better. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Treasure Planet.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Billy Bones was endeavoring to catch his breath from the coughing fit he just had as I lugged him back to the Inn. It must've taken me a solid fifteen minutes before I reached the dark oak door of the Benbow.

I don't think I've ever been happier to be home.

As I reached for the handle, the door was thrust open by Dr. Delbert.

I heard a short gasp that I assumed was my mother's.

"James Pleiades Hawkins!"

I carried the old man inside. "Mom, he's hurt…bad!"

I could see in his eyes he was fighting death, with little prevail.

"Me chest, lad," he said as he stretched his arm in its direction.

I slid the bulky thing over to him.

"He be comin' soon…" Billy rasped while typing in a code on his chest. "Can't let them find this!"

"Who's comin'?" I asked.

Billy Bones grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me to him.

"The cyborg! Beware…the…cyborg…" he said as he placed a wrapped bundle in my hands.

As he took his final breath, a bright light shined through the windows.

I silently made my way over to our background changing window and opened the shade a crack.

Another ship was beginning to land. A group of well-built men were making their way up the path. One thing in particular stuck out to me.

They had a black and white flag.

"Quick, we gotta go!" I yelled, grabbing my mother's hand and dragging her up the staircase.

As Delbert paused at the door, a large beam from a laser gun shot down the door.

"I believe I'm with Jim on this one!" he exclaimed running up the stairs. We ran to one of the rooms and forced open the window.

"Delilah! Delilah! Stay, don't move!" Dr. Delbert called to his pet that also was his mode of transportation. I watched the shadows of the pirates come closer and their yells louder as they ran up the stairs.

Delbert guided my mom onto the windowsill of the room. "Don't worry, Sarah. I'm an expert in the laws of physical science," Delbert explained as if it was actually reassuring my mom. On the count of three. One-"

"Three!" I exclaimed shoving them both off the windowsill and into the buggy below.

"Go, Delilah, go!" Delbert screamed frantically.

I looked back to see the Benbow being engulfed with flames. Just looking at my mom's face nearly tore me apart.

In the alarming events earlier, I hadn't gotten a chance to see what Billy Bones practically died for.

I took off they dusty cloth and put it aside. A golden sphere with abnormal circles and other markings was in front of me.

I frowned and stared at the strange thing, as if it would show its purpose on its own.

"Hey, Doc?" I asked Delbert.

"Yes, Jim?"

"Look at this."

Delbert took his eyes off the road ahead of us and took in the ball.

"Is that what was in the chest?"

I nodded in response.

"We'll take a better look at my home," he said.

Dr. Delbert's home was more of a huge mansion. I couldn't imagine how he never gets lonely in a house that large.

"Any word on the inn?" Mom asked Delbert.

Delbert had a look of deep concern oh his face. "I just spoke with the constabulary. Those blaggard pirates have fled without a trace. I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm afraid the old Benbow Inn has burnt to the ground."

I could tell my mom was near tears as I placed a blanket on her shoulders. I tried to think of something to say to lighten the mood, but nothing came to mind.

"Well, certainly a lot of trouble over that odd little sphere." The fire Delbert had burning reflected off the sphere's surface, making it gleam. I picked it up and started to inspect it.

"Those markings...baffle me."

As Delbert rambled on about how it would take him forever to figure out to open it, I started to push certain buttons. Once I pressed a few, all of them caved into the device.

Whoa.

Now that the sphere wasn't as tightly locked, I twisted it a few times then a burst of green light emerged from the ball. A mere couple of seconds after I opened the device, a huge three dimensional map of the Etherium formed.

Delbert gasped in awe, "It's a map!"

I tried to believe what my eyes were showing me. I had always had a fascination with space, but this was incredible.

"Wait, wait, wait! This is us, the planet Montressor!" Delbert continued to name other places in the galaxy until he stumbled upon an unfamiliar one.

"What's this?"

Everything else disappeared as a familiar planet that matched the map with two rings around it came into sight.

"Why, it's…it's-"

"Treasure Planet…" I said in disbelief and wonder.

"No!" Delbert exclaimed surprised.

It finally dawned on me that I wasn't dreaming. "That's Treasure Planet!"

"Flint's Trove? The Loot Of A Thousand Worlds? Do you know what this means?" Delbert asked excitedly.

"It means," I said, "That all that treasure is only a boat ride away." I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Whoever brings it back would hold an eternal place atop the Pantheon of explorers! He'd be able to experience-Whoo! What just happened?" Delbert questioned as I closed the map.

"Mom, this is it! This is the answer to all our problems," I said grinning as I put the map in my pocket.

"Jim," Mom said rubbing her eyes, "There is absolutely no way-"

"Don't you remember?" I interrupted, "All those stories?"

"That's all they were! Stories!" She exclaimed.

"With all that treasure, we could rebuild the Benbow, a hundred times over!"

"Well, this is- it's just- oh, my. Delbert, would you please explain how ridiculous this is?"

I could tell she was starting to run out of excuses to give me.

"It is totally preposterous, traversing the entire galaxy alone," Dr. Delbert replied.

I rolled my eyes.

"Now at last we hear some sense!"

He _always_ agrees with my mo-

"That's why I'm going with you."

I looked at Delbert and a huge smile spread across my face.

"I'll use my savings to finance the expedition. I'll commission a ship, hire a captain and a crew," he said running about the room gathering his necessary belongings.

"All my life I've been waiting for an opportunity like this and here it is screaming at me, 'Go Delbert!' 'Go Delbert!' 'Go-"

I chuckled at his little dance moves,

"Okay, okay! You're _both _grounded!" my mom yelled.

"Mom, look," I sighed, "I know that I keep messing everything up. And I know…that I let you down."

My mom's face instantly softened.

"But this is my chance to make it up to you. I'm gonna set things right."

"Sarah, if I may?" Delbert motioned for her to talk with him.

"You said yourself, you've tried everything. There are much worse remedies then a few character building months in space."

"Are you saying this because it's the right thing, or because you really want to go?" Mom asked Delbert.

He paused slightly, and then said, "I really, really, really, really want to go."

My mom smiled and shook her head.

"And it's the right thing."

I looked at my mom as she stared intently into my eyes.

"Jim, I don't want to lose you."

"Mom," I smiled, "You won't. I'll make you proud."  
>She smiled at my consideration.<p>

"Well, now," Delbert started, "there we are then. We'll begin preparations at once. Jim, my boy, soon we'll be off to the spaceport."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm working on the next chapter right now, so it should either be up today or tomorrow. Later Gators:p<strong>


	3. The Legacy

**I'm so sorry for the extremely late update! i have been so busy and I only wanted to put out my best work and not rush it! I also wanted to give a shoutout to HotaruKitsune for being my first reader!:) Anyways, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Treasure Planet.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

It took about a month or so for Delbert and I to find a suitable crew and an excellent captain to help maintain our voyage. We had to gather a load of provisions and chart our course. Delbert refused to give me details on the ship, saying that it was a surprise definitely worth waiting for.

Delbert arrived extremely early the day after we were done with preparations. After a tearful goodbye from my mother, Delbert and I had taken a bus-like ship to the Montressor Spaceport. With Delbert blabbering away, an octopus mother with several kids crying, and many, many more awful things, I couldn't wait to escape the small enclosure. As soon as the ship docked, I was the first one outside.

There were endless dock ways and so many things happening all at once. People of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, anything roamed about. And there were tons of different languages buzzing around my ears; it completely unlike anything on Montressor.

And the ships, my God the ships, were all vast and stunning. For a brief moment, I lost interest in the voyage and I only wanted to look at the ships and see the secrets within them.

"Jim! Oh, Jim! Wait for me!"

I sighed in annoyance as Delbert came walking down the gangplank with a ridiculous bright yellow spacesuit that made him stick out like a sore thumb.

"Well, Jim, this should be a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know one another. You know what they say, familiarity breeds, um, well…contempt, but in our case-"

"Look," I said, "Let's just find the ship, okay?"

"Someone eager to see it?" Dr. Delbert asked.

"You have no idea."

Once I asked two men where our ship was, Delbert started complaining about his peer pressure issues.

"I should have never listened to that pushy, two-headed saleswoman. This one said it fit, that one said it was my color, I didn't know what to do I get so flustered-"

Since he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking, Delbert crashed into me while I started admiring another ship.

"Ooh! Jim! This is our ship: the R.L.S. Legacy!"

I followed Delbert's gaze to the most magnificent thing I had ever seen. The ship was by far the largest ship in the port. The Legacy was an assortment of tans, browns, and some gold, with smooth wood.

I could only imagine how much Delbert had paid for it.

"Whoa," I said in complete and total awe.

"She is a beauty isn't she?"

I nodded my head and continued staring at it.

"So are you just going to gawk at it, or are you going to get on it?" Delbert joked.

"Oh, right!" I said and started walking to the enormous gangplank leading up the Legacy.

I paused slightly before heading up it, looking at Delbert in case he wanted to go first. He smiled and motioned for me to go on up. I ran up it and took in the huge deck.

"How cool is this?" I wondered aloud.

In my process of trying to look at everything on the ship at once, I bumped into a chubby man with a heap of tentacles covering his entire body.

He angrily blew air at me through his tentacles, which sounded like repulsive farting sound. He was speaking to me in a different language, and I was immensely confused.

"Allow me to handle this," Delbert said with a hint of cockiness in his voice. He made the horrid noises back to him, which caused the strange man to burst into a fit of laughter.

"I'm fluent in Flatula, Jim. Took two years of it in high school," he said smugly.

"Flatula…cool," I said as I fixed my now messy hair back into place.

Tons of men on board were preparing the ship for the nearing launch. As we walked to the upper deck of the Legacy, I nearly tripped on the stairs from my lack of attention. Everything was just…amazing. I didn't want to miss a single thing. A stone-shaped man with a crimson coat was ordering the crew about.

"Good morning, Captain! Everything ship-shape?" Delbert inquired.

"Ship-shape it is sir," the man said in his gravely tone, "But I'm not the captain. The captain's aloft."

As if on cue, a feline appearing woman came down from the ship's crow's nest, doing a series of impressive flips. She landed on her two feet perfectly and after a moment, made her way over to us.

"Mr. Arrow," she addressed the man Delbert and me were just conversing with, "I have checked this miserable vessel from stem to stern, and as usual, it's spot on. Can you get nothing wrong?" she complimented him.

"You flatter me ma'am," Mr. Arrow said as he tipped his midnight black hat to her.

The captain winked in response and looked over to us. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Delbert in his preposterous space suit. "Ah, Doctor Doppler I presume."

Delbert looked completely out of place next to the well dressed captain. "Uh, yes-" Delbert wavered.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" the captain asked Delbert, giving him a tough time while knocking on his helmet.

"Of course I can! Stop that banging!" Delbert had irritation written all over his face.

"You know, Doctor, this works so much better when its right way up and plugged in," she said as she plugged in Delbert's suit and twisting things this way and that.

Delbert yanked off the helmet of his suit so the captain would stop teasing him. "If you don't mind, I can manage my own plugging!"

I chuckled at how she was completely unphased by Delbert's attempt at an angry statement.

"I'm Captain Amelia, late of a few run-ins with the Protean Armada. Nasty business but I won't bore you with my scars," she said swiftly as if she prepared her little speech. "You've met my first officer, Mr. Arrow. Sterling, tough, dependable, brave and true," she slightly smiled.

"Please, Captain," Arrow said, totally embarrassed.

"Oh, shut up, Arrow, you know I don't mean a word of it," Captain Amelia said jokingly.

Delbert, obviously bored, disrupted, "I hate to interrupt this…lovely banter, but may I introduce to you Jim Hawkins." He directed my stray attention to the captain then continued. "Jim, you see, is the boy who found the treasu-"

Amelia grabbed Delbert's jaw quickly before anything else could come out. "Doctor, please," she said sternly.

A few crew members looked harshly at all of us, then went to minding their duties.

"I'd like a word with you in my stateroom." Amelia led us to the rear of the ship and led us down a hall. There was one other room to the left of Amelia's and a storage room on the right.

Amelia warned Delbert that mentioning the treasure, that may or may not exist, in front of this particular crew, could be a rather dangerous thing. Delbert was about to protest, but Amelia cut him off.

"May I see the map, please?"

After a few moments of silent debate, the Doc motioned for me to hand it to her.

"Here," I muttered while carelessly tossing to her. Amelia caught it easily; she marveled at how complex the little thing was. She took it to a cupboard and placed it in a small box.

"Mr. Hawkins," Amelia said, "In the future, you will address me as 'Captain' or 'Ma'am.' Is that clear?"

Great. And I thought I was done taking orders from people. I rolled my eyes and sighed in dismay.

"Mr. Hawkins?" Amelia-sorry _Captain_ Amelia-said threateningly.

I let out another short sigh, remembering my mom's warning to watch my attitude.

"Yes, ma'am."

"That'll do. Gentlemen, this will be kept under lock and key when not in use," Captain Amelia said as she locked the cupboard containing the map while hiding the key in her pocket.

"And Doctor, with the greatest possible respect, zip your howling screamer." The Captain moved to her desk that had a map of the Etherium sprawled out upon it.

"Captain, I assure you I-"

Captain Amelia did not seem to care about what Delbert had to say, for she interrupted him for the thousandth time. "Let me make this as monosyllabic as possible. I don't much care for this crew you hired. They're…How did I describe them, Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee…"

"A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, ma'am," Mr. Arrow replied automatically.

"There you go. Poetry," she replied as she grinned at her own sarcastic remark.

"Now, see here-" Delbert tried to protest, only to be stopped again.

"Doctor, I'd love to chat-tea, cake, the whole shebang- but I have a ship to launch and you have your outfit to buff up."

Delbert looked as if he was about to boil over with anger, but the captain prevented him from doing so. I was playing with a pendulum-like object on the captain's wall when she started giving more orders.

"Mr. Arrow," she said as she folded her arms professionally behind her back, "Please escort these two neophytes down to the galleys straight away. Young Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

"Whoa, what?" I asked perturbed, "The cook?"  
>I was completely outraged. It was my idea to go on this journey, and we'd never be here without Delbert, and she wants me to work for the <em>cook<em>? To think I was actually going to get away from the Inn lifestyle for awhile...

"That woman! That _feline_!" Delbert fumed as we descended the stairway to the galley. "Who does she think is working for whom?"

"It's my map," I added, "And she's got me bussing tables!"

"I will not tolerate any crossword about the captain," Arrow scolded us, "There's no finer officer in this, or any, galaxy."

The three of us turned to the sound of cheery whistling. The outline of a thick, tall man was chopping up food while merrily whistling.

"Mr. Silver," Arrow called out to the happy cook.

The room was shrouded in steam from the large fire that was burning in the circular kitchen. I couldn't make out the man's appearance. The room smelled wonderful. The fragrances of various spices and food drifted about.

"Why, Mr. Arrow, sir! Bringin' such fine and distinguished gents to grace my 'umble galley! Had I known, I'd 'ave tucked in me shirt!" Silver joked.

Once he came out of the mist, the limbs on his right side of his body were replaced with machinery, even his eye. For some peculiar reason, the man seemed vaguely familiar, yet I couldn't think of a reason why. The red eye of his made my blood run cold. The haunting words of Billy Bones flooded my mind:

_Beware the cyborg._

This cyborg seemed much too kind to be a pirate, but then again, looks can be deceiving. I made a mental note to not trust this man under any circumstances whatsoever.

"May I introduce Doctor Doppler," Arrow said, "The financier of our voyage."

"Love the outfit, Doc," Silver said humorously. His cyborg eye shot out a laser beam and scanned over Delbert's outfit.

"Well, um, thank you," Delbert said awkwardly, "love the eye. This young lad is Jim Hawkins." Delbert thrust me in front of him to meet Silver properly.

"Jimbo!" Silver said warmly while sticking out his cyborg hand.

I glared at it in response, and then looked up through my frowning eyebrows at Silver. Whether it was the fact that he was much too cheery or that he had a strange accent, something seemed unusual about him.

Seeing as that I wasn't going to shake his hand, Silver recoiled and went to his bubbling pot. "Ah, now don' be too put off by t'is hunk o' hardware. These gears 'ave been tough gettin' used to, but they do come in handy from time to time," he said.

Silver mixed a variety of familiar ingredients I had seen at the Inn into the pot. He grabbed some spices with his good hand and delicately poured them into the pot. He mixed everything together with a ladle and then tested it. "Here," Silver said while pouring the delightful smelling soup into two bowls, "'ave a taste of me famous Bonzabeast Stew!"

Delbert complimented Silver on his fine culinary skills when an eyeball popped up in Delbert's bowl. Silver burst into a fit of laughter as Delbert screamed. I was still uncertain about this guy. And despite my hungry stomach, I refused to eat the stew.

"C'mon, Jimbo. 'Ave a swig," Silver coaxed. I hesitantly lifted the spoon to my mouth, just looking at the lumpy textured stew.

Suddenly, my spoon began to turn animate and ate the soup it was holding. A pink blob formed before me and smiled at me. It then turned into a straw and drank the rest of the soup.

"Morph! You jiggle-headed blob of mischief! So t'ats where you was 'iding!"

The blob muttered something I didn't understand, and then let out a satisfied burp. Morph rubbed up against my cheek. His cool gelatin feeling skin felt good after being in the hot air of the galley.

"What is that thing?" I asked while it hovered about me.

"What is that thing?" he mimicked me. I touched the little guy and his body split into several separate pieces. He turned into miniature version of myself and copied my every move.

"He's a morph. I rescued the little shape-shifter off Proteous One."

Morph shifted back into his usual self and cuddled up next to Silver. "He took a shine to me; we've been together ever since."

A bell sounded above deck, signaling the launch was about to proceed.

"We're about to get underway," Arrow said in his thick voice, "would you like to observe the launch, Doctor?"

"Would I?" Delbert inquired with the excitement building in his voice, "Does an active galactic nucleus have super luminal jets?"

Mr. Arrow gave Delbert a puzzled, unamused look.

"I'll follow you," he muttered shamefully and headed up the stairs.

When I went to follow him, Mr. Arrow put his rocky hand in front of me. "Mr. Hawkins will stay here in your charge, Mr. Silver," he proclaimed.

Silver, who was enjoying more of his soup, spit it out in astonishment. "Beggin' yer pardon sir, but-"

"Captain's orders!" Mr. Arrow exclaimed, in no mood to negotiate. "See to it that the new cabin boy is kept busy." And with that, he sauntered off. Both of us tried to change his mind before he walked off, but failed at the attempt.

"As if I needed another defiant teenager to look after," I heard Silver mutter. What other teenager? I hadn't seen anyone my age around the ship…

"So, Captain's put you with me, eh?" Silver asked as he inspected me.

"Whatever," I said heedlessly.

"Who be a humble cyborg to argue with a captain?" he continued. I looked around and saw a barrel of purps. A genius idea struck me.

"Y'know, these purps are kid of like the ones back home on Montressor…You ever been there?" I asked testing the waters.

"Can't says I 'ave, Jimbo."

I was beginning to doubt myself, but I decided to continue anyways. I took a bite into the soft purp and sat on the counter casually. "Come to think of it, just before I left I met this old guy, who was looking for a cyborg buddy of his."

"Is that so?" Silver wondered with a hint of disinterest in his voice.

"Yeah. What was that old salamander's name? Oh yeah, Bones. Billy Bones?" I hoped that my bringing up the name would result in a reaction from Silver, but to my dismay, he remained calm.

"Bones? Booones?" Silver dragged out the syllables to see if recognization came to his mind. "'Tain't ringin' any bells. Musta been a different cyborg. There's a slew o' cyborgs roamin' this part."

A shrill whistle sounded with Mr. Arrow's booming voice saying, "Prepare to cast off!"

Silver smiled at me. "Off wit' ya lad, and watch the launch. There'll be plenty work awaiting for yeh."

Crap, I thought, this man was good. I turned and ascended the staircase. The cloudless blue sky was astounding with the sun's rays glimmering through it. As crew members began releasing the sails, I started climbing the shrouds of the ship.

And that's when I saw her.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! SO glad these chapters are done! The better stuff is coming soon, I promise! <strong>

**~KeybladeGirl**


	4. Introductions

**The chapter you've all been waiting for!;) I spent three hours yesterday writing it and around four hours today editing it just for you guys! It was my favorite one to write:) Also i wanted to thank you guys for the reviews! They make my day! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I may not own Treasure Planet, but I do own Riley Davidson and her story.**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

The air felt like it was ripped out of lungs. I didn't feel so stable anymore, and I'm positive it wasn't because of the rising ship. I saw a mature looking girl that looked to be my age on the tip of the Legacy's bowsprit. She had silky blond locks with eyes that matched the sky behind her. She was tall, most likely the same height I was. The sun streaked through her long hair, making it appear partly red.

To say she was beautiful would be an understatement.

In my midst of staring, a crew member that was helping release the sails bumped into me. His cold, black eyes gave me a bone chilling glare. Why was this crew so scary? I shook off the eerie glare and redirected my attention to the girl on the bowsprit. She was undisturbed by the steadily rising ship and was standing on the thin rung of wood without holding onto anything, as if she'd been doing it her whole life.

The solar sails sizzled from the rays of light that were entering their sheets. After Arrow's approval, the ship blasted through the port at an impressive speed. The wind surged through my hair, making me feel like I was solar surfing again. I looked at the girl who stayed sturdy on the small rung; it didn't seem the force had moved her an inch. The wind blew in the girl's hair, revealing a set of two silver piercings on the top of her ear and a golden one, similar to my own, on the bottom. That combination seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Suddenly, group of flying whale-like creatures flew around the Legacy. Their skin had splotches of blues and reds and whites.

"Whoa…" I said in amazement.

"Newbies," a voice scoffed.

My head instantly shot to the left to see the beautiful girl flip off the bowsprit and on to the deck. Her midnight boots-nearly identical to Amelia's, but stopped a little above her knees-gleamed in the starlight of the Etherium.

She had on a dark denim cropped jacket and crème colored pants. She was wearing a navy tank top a few shades lighter than her jacket. A long silver dog tag hung from her neck.

Was this the "defiant teenager" Silver was talking about?

"Jimbo!" Speaking of…

"I've got a new friend I'd like ya to meet."

I hopped down from the shrouds and over to Silver. I looked expectantly at him.

"Riley," the girl introduced herself while extending her hand towards me.

As I looked at her face up close, I was startled to see a dark purple scar on the left side of her face. It started below her ear, and extended all the way to the corner of her mouth. How did she get something like that?  
>"Jim," I smiled and took her hand.<p>

My stomach flip-flopped and my hand tingled from her touch. My cheeks felt like they were burning.

"And also," Silver added, "I've got two more friends I'd like ya t' meet." I looked around excitedly. "Say hello to Mr. Mop, and Mrs. Bucket." Silver threw me a beat up mop and a scratched up bucket.

"Yippee," I replied, not even bothering to hide my sarcasm.

**~Riley's Point Of View~**

Instead of helping release the solar sails like I was supposed to, I was on the bowsprit of the ship, enjoying the gust of wind.

"Whoa…" a voice from behind me admired.

A boy with dark hair and sky blue eyes was on the shrouds gazing at the flying whales that were flying by the ship.

I rolled my eyes. "Newbies."

I jumped from the bowsprit. In my eight years of being a spacer, takeoffs had always been my favorite part of a voyage, especially from the very tip of the ship.

"Silver, who's that guy?" I asked pointing my head in the boy's direction.

"He's the boy t'at found the map. Bones gave it t' 'im. He also is me new cabin boy."

I chuckled. "Have fun babysitting."

"That's why you'll be lookin' after 'im to make sure he stays outta trouble."

"What? But I don't-"

"**You** don't 'ave a choice."

This is what sucks about being Silver's "First Mate." He gets to do all the cool things while I'm given the responsible stuff.

"Jimbo!" Silver called. The boy turned reluctantly.

"I've got a new friend I'd like yeh t' meet."

The guy swiftly made his way over to Silver and I. I had to admit he was fairly handsome, but it was his eyes that grasped my attention. They were clearer than water, but they seemed rather mysterious as well.

Realizing Silver wanted me to introduce myself, I stuck out my hand. "Riley."

"Jim," he smiled.

The moment our hands touched, my stomach churned and my heart began beating a little too fast for my liking. I could've sworn I had seen a faint blush rise on Jim's cheeks too, but I was probably imagining it.

As Silver threw Jim a mop and a bucket, I was determined to sneak away and get out of babysitting Jim. No such luck. Silver grabbed my shoulders and shoved me in Jim's direction.

I shook my head and walked to the other side of the deck. I leaned against the red wooden railing.

"Someone daydreaming?" Ray, my fellow crew member asked teasingly.

"Please," I said, "I only met him a few seconds ago."

Ray laughed. "Then explain the blush."

My hands flew to my face. They were extremely warm.

Ray burst out laughing. "Don't worry kid, you're secret's safe with me."

Nathaniel, another member who was ironically named after Captain Flint, joined the conversation. "Hey, Ray, how long do you think she'll last?"

"A week…if she's lucky…"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Is everyone in on this except me?"

The two men laughed. "We'll stop," Nathaniel said.

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?" I wondered aloud.

"A few months," replied matter-of-factly.

I sighed as I clutched the cold dog tag locket I wore around my neck. "I just want to find the treasure. We've all been searching long enough."

It dawned on me that I had been watching Jim the past few minutes. I was curious about him; I wanted to know his story. A new member of the crew, whose name had become lost to me, shoved Jim out of his way, calling him a twerp.

"Silver's been searching for ages," Nathanial remarked, "I'm surprised he never gave up."

"That's 'cause I wouldn't let him," I winked.

We all started laughing. I practically grew up with these guys. I trusted them almost as much as I trusted Silver. They were like the obnoxious uncles I wish I had.

"Cabin Boy is watching us…" Nathaniel whispered quieter.

I looked over at Jim. Our eyes met automatically, making me instantly look away.

Ray hit Nathaniel and me and we all turned to Jim.

"What are you lookin' at weirdo?" Nathaniel said, then his spidery head walked on the barrel next to us. I smiled faintly remembering the first time he did that to me when I was eight. I was terrified of him for the longest time.

"Yeah," his stomach continued, "weirdo." Jim looked moderately creeped out. I stifled a laugh.

A hissing sound rang out, making me groan inwardly.

Nobody liked Scroop. He was heartless, evil, and the worst pirate you would ever meet. He was only here because he made an excellent fighting hand.

"Cabin boysss should learn to mind their own businesssss," Scroop said ominously.

A spark of defiance lit up in Jim's blue eyes. "Why? Got something to hide, Bright Eyes?"

He had no idea.

"He's screwed," Ray muttered.

"Ten gold pieces on Scroop," Nathaniel said to Ray. I hit both their shoulders, telling them to be quiet.

Scroop's fiery red claw grasped Jim's neck as the rage grew noticeably on his ugly face. "Maybe your earssss don't work so well." I could tell Scroop was running out of patience. His yellow eyes locked into a tight frown.

Jim shook his head and grunted. He looked like he was having difficulty breathing. "Yeah, too bad my nose works just fine."

I smirked at his remark. He was pretty brave.

"Why you impudent little…" Scroop rammed Jim onto the pole that went up to the crow's nest. Jim winced in pain and struggled against Scroop's grip.

Without thinking whatsoever, I dashed over to the duel scene as quick as I could.

"Scroop!" I exclaimed. I grabbed his fat arm and attempted to free Jim. Scroop swung his other arm at me with so much force, that I skidded against the wood and slid a dozen feet backwards on the deck. My head was hit on the boxes of cargo, sending an excruciating pain through my skull. By then, the whole crew was around watching the duel before them unfold.

Anger bursted inside of me and my little tolerance for the idiotic bug vanished faster than Flint's crew. I dragged myself off the floor and stormed over to Scroop again. Jim stared at me in pure awe.

"LET. HIM. GO," I shouted through gritted teeth. I was surprised by how strong my words came out, but I didn't care. I **despised** the damn spider.

Scroop looked at me with surprise himself, but quickly returned to his usual scowl. "Give me one good reasssson why."

I grabbed his prickly arm and twisted it until I heard a satisfying snap. "Is that a good enough reason?"

Scroop yelled in pain as he let Jim fall to the floor. I heard him gasp as he tried to make his breathing go back to normal. I helped him up, "Are you alright?"

His blue orbs bored into my own. It felt like he was staring into my soul. "Yeah," he choked out.

I noticed Scroop was about to lunge for Jim again, but I stood in front of him with my arms extended defensively. "If you have business to with him, you can take it to me."

Scroop hated the thought-or probably just me-so much, he nearly struck me again.

"What's all this then?" Mr. Arrow's booming voice echoed. He looked back and forth between Scroop and me.

"You know the rules! There'll be no brawling on this ship!" Arrow looked around at the gathered crowd of the crew. He gave me a cold look, then continued his lecture. "Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." Mr. Arrow looked square on to Scroop. "Am I clear, Mr. Scroop?"

The two men looked loathingly at each other. Scroop finally replied with, "Transparently."

A red glow shined on Scroop. I'm dead, I'm SO dead…

"Riley Victoria Davidson, 'ow many times must I tell yeh to STOP PICKING FIGHTS?"

I winced. I never did like it when Silver yelled at me. "Don't look at me look at him," I pointed at Jim, "he's the one who pissed him off, not me." Silver looked at me in disbelief. "I'm honestly just as surprised as you are."

Jim chuckled.

Silver cooled down a bit, but he still looked brutally embarrassed. "But I put _you_ in charge o' Jimbo, so _you_ shoulda been payin' attention to 'im."

I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it when I couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse. Satisfied that I had learned my lesson, Silver moved on to Jim.

"Jimbo, I gave you a job!"

"Hey! I was doing it until that bug thing got-"

"BELAY THAT!" Silver shouted in a tone I had never heard him use before, and believe me, I heard just about everyone of them. "Now, I want this deck swabbed spotless. And Heaven help yeh if I come back and it's not done!"

Jim looked so angry, I was surprised he didn't lose his temper. I knew I would have.

"Morph, keep an eye on this pup. Let me know if there'll be anymore distractions. Riley, let's go." Silver started walking towards the galleys. I was about to follow when Jim put a hand on my shoulder, sending tingles up and down my arm. Why was I feeling like this?

"Wait. Your arm's bleeding."

I looked down to see blood oozing down my arm, dripping off my hand. Apparently Scroop had cut me and I didn't even notice.

"I'll be fine," I said flatly and continued walking to the galley.

The entire crew had assembled downstairs in time for our meeting. "So," Silver said, "We're all here." I sat down at a table and propped my feet up on it.

"If yeh'll pardon me plain speaking gentlemen and lass…"

I smiled.

"Are yeh all…_Stark-raving totally blinking daft_?" He yelled so loudly, I wondered if anyone above deck had heard. Silver swung his mechanical sword this way and that in utter fury. I looked about and saw the cowardly looks on the crew's faces.

"After all me laborin', gettin' us hired as an upstandin' crew, yeh want to blow the whole mutiny before it's time?"

I sighed. Silver doesn't go a day without nagging us on our behavior. I understand he's under a ton of stress, and I definitely was a great contributor to it, but sometimes he needed to lighten up a bit.

"The boy wassss sniffing about," Scroop growled, "And your little lassss wasn't so obsssscure about it either."

I folded my arms and shot an ugly look in his direction. He gave me one right back.

"You just stick to the plan yeh bug-brained twit! As for the boy, I'll run 'im so ragged, he won't have time t' t'ink!"

A few cheers from the crew gave Silver a fulfilled smile. He discussed some new plans for our takeover later on, and then told us to get back to our duties.

I was about to leave, when Silver called me over to the counter.

"Yeh almost blew it today, Riley."

"You know how much I hate Scroop."

"But breakin' 'is arm? T'at's takin' it a bit too far, even for yeh, lassie." I looked down in guilt.

"What's gotten into yeh, lass? I've never seen yeh so riled up…Is it Jim?"

"No way. I just thought that Scroop needed a lesson."

Silver laughed. "'Ave I ever told yeh how terrible a liar yeh are?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm a great liar, and you know it."

"T'en I've know yeh so long I can see right through it."

I smiled. He knew me so well. "I'll admit it's a little weird having someone my age on deck before. I mean that's never happened before right?"

Silver shook his head and continued making some preparations for breakfast in the morning.

"I'm just unsure how to act," I confessed.

Silver chuckled. "Does it 'ave to do wit' the fact yeh've taken a fancy to 'im?"

My cheeks felt warm. I quickly turned and started to walk out. I prayed Silver didn't see me blushing.

Silver burst into a fit of laughter. "I knew it!"

I shook my head and walked up the rickety stairs. My arm was starting to bother me, so I decided I'd make my way to the infirmary.

Jim was still aimlessly swabbing the deck; he already looked exhausted.

"Wow. Been up here an hour and the deck's still in one piece," I teased. Jim smirked and continued to mop the deck. He seemed deep in thought. "Look…what you did…thanks."

I shrugged as if to say it wasn't a big deal. A somewhat awkward silence came about. I was just about to leave when Jim began to speak again.

"Why did you do it?"

I chuckled and leaned against the railing, momentarily searching the diamond filled night, hoping to see something extraordinary.

"You reminded me of when I first met Scroop. As you can see, I'm not the best at controlling my temper, so one day, not too long ago actually, he pushed me over the edge…and let's just say it didn't end well…"

I pushed up my jacket sleeve to show Jim a stitched gash on my arm. "You've got some pretty nasty war wounds," he stated as he stared at my arm.

My mind went straight to the atrocious scar in the side of my face. I shrugged. "Eh…it show's people not to cross me. They're like warnings to people."

Jim eyes fixated on my still fresh wound from Scroop. He gingerly took my arm into his hand. I took in a sharp breath of air, signaling the gash was still sore.

"You really should go to the infirmary," he said as he tossed Mr. Mop to the side, "I'll go with you."

"You really don't-"

"You have that gash because of me. It's the least I can do."

I fell silent at his stubbornness. Jim guided me to the room full of medical supplies. I sat on a chair as Jim got out bandages and some disinfectant from a cupboard.

"So why did you stand up to Scroop like that? Didn't your dad teach you to pick your fights more carefully?" Jim's facial expression darkened immensely as he turned to get a damp cloth.

"Your dad not the teaching type?" I questioned, seeing I may have hit a sore spot in his heart.

"No. More of the taking-off-and-never-coming-back type."

My eyebrows rose at his statement. Shock rendered in my face for a moment, then disappeared once he turned back around.

"Then we have something in common."

Jim gave me a questioning look. "What do you mean by that?"

I shook my head and sighed. "I think I'll have to amputate my arm if it bleeds anymore."  
>Jim stared at me. "Um…you're gonna need to take off your jacket…" A noticeable blush outlined his face. I smirked at that.<p>

I shrugged out of the jacket and placed it on the chair next to me. The cold air of the infirmary embraced my bare shoulders, causing a slight shiver to go down my spine. Jim began washing the dried blood off my entire arm, then took the disinfectant and cleaned the wound. I winced in pain from the severe burning sensation.

"Sorry," he said softly. His gentle fingers wrapped the bandage around my arm several times, and then tied it off.

I smiled gratefully and put my jacket back on. "Thanks. How did you get so good at that?"

"I've gotten cut up pretty bad back at home."

"You're even more rebellious than I bargained you for," I said half serious.

He laughed. "Then we have something in common."

I grinned as we made our way to the main deck. It was dead quite outside. The decks and shrouds were empty. The crew was probably down at their bunks, most likely sleeping. The full moon shined on the on the Legacy's deck; the stars around it twinkled and sparkled. "Now that's a view I never get tired of," I smiled.

Jim looked straight up at the beautiful atmosphere around us. In all my years of traversing the Etherium, I'm positive this was the best view I had ever seen. Both of us stood in silence for awhile, admiring the breath-taking view.

"So how did you end up here? Especially with Silver?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I remarked.

"You're not exactly an open book," Jim countered.

I chuckled. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

I turned to leave to my room to go and get some sleep.

"I'm not giving up on that you know!" he called to me.

"Let me know how that works out for you," I replied with a smile on my face.

I let all the thoughts I had been holding back all day run free. I was getting, much too close to him, and friendship was the least of my worries. I thought back to when we shook hands and how my stomach turned and my heart started beating faster than it should have. And my outburst with Scroop…I added another scar to my collection for a boy I barely knew? Despite that fact, I felt like I trusted him with my life, and trust to a pirate is the worst rule you could break.

This is so bad, I thought. Little did I know, it was about to get a whole lot worse.

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><p><strong>Yay! Haha so what do you guys think of Riley? And Jim's little crush on her? haha leave me a review and let me know! I'm going to try to update again tomorrow but if I don't I will on Friday:)<strong>

**~KeybladeGirl**


	5. Passions In Common

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, I've been pretty busy and I've been having a serious case of writer's block, so any ideas would be much appreciated! I'd also like to thank biggestcodyfan for being the only person to tell me if the previous chapter was good or not! Thank you so much! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet, but I do own Riley Davidson and her story.**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

I sighed as I picked up Mr. Mop from the now spotless deck. I had a killer headache and I felt like I was going to collapse from exhaustion. Riley had been in my thoughts this whole entire time. She was stubborn, headstrong, and extremely intriguing. I know I only met her today, but I couldn't help the growing amount of curiosity I had about her.

"Atta boy, Jimbo!"

My eyes looked about to see a certain cyborg smiling in approval. "I can see me reflection! I'm sure it'll be even clearer when yeh swab it again tomorrow."

The proud smile that was on my face instantly faded into a frown. "But it's crystal clear!"

This caused Silver to laugh. "Jimbo, lad, Do yeh realize how dirty a deck gets af'er a single day's work?"

You've got to be kidding me…

"It's best if yeh be gettin' some shut eye. Yeh've got a long day tomorrow." With that, Silver walked back down to the galley.

Anger rose up inside of me. I threw the mop and bucket across the deck. This trip didn't seem as exciting anymore. I thought I would be able to see different planets and learn more about space, not be the ship's cabin boy. Why did I have to be the one cleaning this huge ship?

While I had been ranting to myself, I noticed I was in the crew's quarters. Everyone was already sleeping off the tiring hours of the launch. It was amusing to see big, tough men sleep like they were little kids again. I could've sworn I heard someone say "mommy" in their sleep. I spotted an empty hammock that I assumed was mine. It was right under Mr. Snuff. This couldn't possibly get worse. As quietly as I could, I slid off my jacket and boots and slipped under Snuff. His numerous tentacles drooped off his hammock and dangled in my face. He let out a loud snore, causing all of his tentacles to blow a foul smelling odor into my face.

"Ugh!" I groaned in pure disgust.

This was going top be a sleepless night.

~Riley's Point Of View~

I lay on my creaky bed with my hands behind my head, staring at the dark ceiling. I was thinking about the events of the day and, as always, I was wondering about my family.

I grabbed the dog tag around my neck; it was practically a reflex now. I admired how the metal gleamed in the moonlight that came through my porthole. The pad of my thumb gently pressed on the slightly worn clasp that opened my tag. I had a picture of my mother, father, brother, and I enclosed in the tag. It was the last photo we had taken as a family. A faint smile spread across my lips as their happy faces looked back up at me.

"I miss you guys," I whispered. I closed the tag and tucked it back into my shirt. I groaned loudly and put my face in my hands.

That's it. Sleep was completely out of the question. I threw the bed sheets off of me in great exasperation and turned my lamp on. I squinted from the bright light and sat on my work bench. Leafing through my numerous sketches, I found a blank piece of paper to use. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and grabbed a charcoal pencil.

Silver had got me into machinery, especially engines. When I'm stressed, angry, upset, or if I just can't sleep at night (like now for instance) I start sketching and inventing things.

I began to draw a medium length board and a foot latch. With a few easy strokes, an elegant sail was attached to the board. I drew the handlebar and multiple buttons on the front of the board. And lastly, I sketched the energy-booster engine on the back.

Yeah, I'm pretty much in love with solar surfing, especially making my own. Silver was awesome enough to get me a bountiful supply of parts to be able to construct surfers whenever I pleased. I got up off the rock hard bench and went to my enormous cupboard of supplies. I selected a black board with white rims and a snow white sail. I placed them both on my work table. I let my fingers stroke the rough cloth of the thick sails and slide down across the shiny new board. I glided back towards the supply cabinet to retrieve the remaining pieces, eager to start. As I set them on the table I began to fashion make shift blueprints for the new surfer.

I set my torch ablaze and started melding the parts and buttons into the board. It took me approximately two hours to make sure everything functioned properly and looked perfect. Finally satisfied my hand clasped the sail and whipped it open. A few rays of light from my lamp entered the sail, causing it to buzz with delight. I fit the stand into the six-inch hole and twisted it. Once I heard it click in place, I welded it into one complete part. Now I was on to the difficult part of the surfer.

The particular solar surfers I invent are infused with artificial gravity, giving the rider the ability to explore space.

Cool right?

I wiped the hot sweat from my forehead as the commencement of filling the solar surfer with artificial gravity began. As this was the time consuming part of making solar surfers, I allowed myself to start thinking again. My thoughts instantly went to Jim. I rolled my eyes instantly. Something about him caught me off guard. He was just a mysterious guy. A loud whooshing sound brought my mind back to my room. It meant that the surfer was filled with the gravity. I grinned at my completed work. I lifted the finished surfer and set it next to my lamp so it could charge. If Silver forgot I was on Jim duty, I would take it out for a test run.

Sighing in content, I glanced at the clock. 5:48 a.m.

Looks like I pulled an all-nighter, I thought. Breakfast was at 6:15, so I needed to get ready. I had a long day ahead of me.

~Jim's Point Of View~

I was totally drained. I didn't sleep all night. Not just because the worst bunkmate in the Etherium was insanely noisy the entire night, but I couldn't seem to stop thinking about Riley. She was impossible to figure out. How did she end up on the Legacy? Why does she have that prominent scar on her face? What did she do to get it? What was her story?

"You think we should tell 'im breakfast is in five minutes?"

"No. Let Cabin Boy figure it out himself."

I forced my eyes open and took in the empty room. I swung my legs over the side of the hammock and tugged my boots on. I ran up the stairs and winced from the painfully bright sun. I scrambled down the steps to the galley to find that everyone except the captain and Arrow already downstairs. I rubbed my face in attempt to wake myself up.

"Mornin' Jimbo!" Silver greeted me.

"Morning," I replied gruffly.

"'Ave a good sleep?"

"Didn't sleep."

Silver laughed. "First night is usually ta 'ardest." He tossed me a purp and went back to the counters in the kitchen. My eyes darted from table to table until they landed on Riley. She was sitting with the two crew members that she was with yesterday. Her long hair was braided back, nearly reaching her waist. She looked relatively tired, but she was still smiling.

I sat myself down at an empty table taking a small bite out of the purp.

"Jim! Isn't the food here just fantastic?" Just the person I was hoping to avoid…

Delbert sat himself on the seat next to me, noticing I only had a purp for breakfast. Thankfully, he was dressed in his normal clothes.

"Um…never mind. Anyways, yesterday, I was discussing with Amelia about the length of our voyage and she said it would be a mere couple of months!"

"That's great, Doc," I said half listening.

Riley was laughing at something the man with a talking stomach had said. Her slender hands were clasped around a steaming white mug.

"Jim, I have a meeting with Arrow and Amelia, I'll see you out and about?"

I nodded as Doc trudged away. I lifted the soft purp to my mouth and took another bite, casting my eyes to the graying table.

"Mind if I sit?"

I directed my gaze from the table to meet piercing blue eyes. All the questions that I had been planning on asking her escaped my mind. I felt like I was at a loss for words. With her hair pulled back, it really brought out her jaw line and sky blue eyes.

"No, go ahead," I managed to force out.

Cup in hand, Riley seated herself across from me. "Is that all you're going to have for breakfast?" she asked teasingly.

I raised an eyebrow at her and eyed her mug, which was filled with black coffee. She grinned and took a drink from it.

"You're probably the first girl I've seen drink straight black coffee."

Riley shrugged. "I didn't sleep last night. Like, at all…"

"Me either. Then again, some kind soul on this ship made Snuff my bunkmate."

We both laughed. "Good luck getting any sleep this whole entire trip," Riley grinned.

I smiled and looked at her again. "How come you didn't sleep?"

"Not exactly sure. Just got a lot on my mind, I guess. I was also building a-"

"Riley! Jimbo! 'Ow are yeh both gettin' along this mornin'?"

Riley smiled up at him. "Fairly well."

"I'm exhausted," I replied.

Silver chuckled. "Get used t' it, lad. Yeh're just startin' out."

Riley rolled he eyes and got up to put her cup in the kitchen sink. "Jimbo, I want yeh t' swab the entire ship t'day, alright?"

I groaned.

"T'at's the spirit."

Riley began smiling widely.

"What're you so happy about?" I asked her.

"You'll see." She dashed up the galley stairs.

"Get t' work," Silver said handing me a brush and a bucket with soap in it. He tossed me an apron then resumed picking up scattered dishes.

The sun was shining down on the Legacy's sails, causing them to glow just as bright. A gentle breeze blew about, making the heat a lot more bearable. I dumped the sudsy water onto the deck and began cleaning it.

An ear-splitting noise I would recognize anywhere disrupted the quite morning. I shaded my eyes and looked up. My jaw dropped at the sight before me.

Riley was riding a solar surfer above the ship. A solar surfer. In SPACE. How the hell does that work? Those weren't even on the market! Believe me, if they were, I would've bought on years ago and left home to find my dad.

The surfer had a pure white sail and a glossy black board. It looked similar to a regular one, only it had a few unfamiliar gears on it. Riley shot up high then flipped downwards. She was a natural. She pressed a button on the board and her speed drastically increased, practically making her a blur by the rate she was going.

"Yeah!" she yelled. Riley pulled some crazy tricks I had never even seen before. She was by far way better than I was. Watching her stunning figure pull off insane stunts made me awestruck. This added a million more questions I wanted to ask her.

"T'at girl is such a show off."

I jumped at the sound of Silver's voice. I grabbed the brush and began cleaning the deck. "Silver, how did she learn to do that?" I asked admiration clearly present in my voice.

Silver shook his head. "I'd ask her yehself. She's loved solar surfin' since-" Silver cut himself off and briefly paused. "Eh...I'll let 'er tell yeh."

Riley started to descend until she landed on the ship's main deck. She had one of the biggest smiles on her face.

"Way to go, girl!"

I looked to my side to see the same guys standing next to me. I hadn't even noticed they were right by me. Riley's smile got even bigger as she high-fived the guy who was on the heavy side.

"I swear, you get cockier everyday, you little show off."

Riley rolled her eyes and laughed. "Thanks Nathaniel." She retracted her board and held it under her arm.

"How did you get a board like that?" I asked in wonder.

Riley smirked. "After you're done with work, come find me and I'll show you."

Just as I was about to protest, Silver handed me another bucket of soapy water, then pointed to a new section of the deck. I glared at him but knelt down and started cleaning. I spent my whole entire day swabbing every single nook and cranny on this ship. By the end of it, my back ached and my hands were getting blisters from the rough wood on the brush. Once I finally finished, I threw the brush in the bucket and staggered down the galley stairs.

"Silver? You here?" I called.

"In the back, Jimbo!" I set the bucket by the doorway and headed to the back of the kitchen. I was greeted by an over zealous Morph. He rubbed up against my face happily and squealed. I smiled. "Hey Morphie."

Silver was sitting on a stool peeling a yellow vegetable. He motioned for me to sit down and start peeling as well. I sighed and leaned against the cool wall. I picked up the knife and started to relieve the vegetable of its outer shell. I glanced up at the opening in the ceiling. The sun was setting, sending orange rays down into the galley.

Morph cuddled himself into my neck and soon fell asleep. Silver and I were both quiet. An uncomfortable silence hung over our heads.

"So, Silver," I glanced up at the cyborg cook, "how long have you known Riley?"

Silver chuckled. "Yeh taken a fancy to 'er?"

"What? No! I-I'm just wondering how she ended up here," I said a bit too quickly.

Silver smiled knowing otherwise. "I've known the lass a long, long, time. And as I said before, I'd best be askin' 'er the questions. She's the only one who can tell 'er story the right way."

"She's not exactly an open person." I yawned from my sleep deprivation.

"Go ahead and get t' bed, lad. Yeh'll be even more tired tomorrow."

"Thanks, Silver."

I tickled Morph awake, and then set my knife down next to Silver. I sluggishly walked down the aisle way and walked up the stairs.

The sky was nearly black, but it lit with trillions of stars that were spread out across the sky. It was rather chilly out; I really wished I had gotten my jacket earlier. As I was about to head back to the crew's quarters, I remembered that I was supposed to meet Riley. Where would she be though? Probably in her room considering it was so late. I thought of the extra door that was by Amelia's stateroom. It must've been Riley's.

I dragged my tired feet down the hall. I knocked on the door.

"Come in."

I opened the door to see a work bench covered with parts of every shape and size. There was a closed cupboard and an open one that had dozens upon dozens of square cubbyholes. And each and every one of them was filled with solar surfer boards.

"Oh my God," I breathed. It was like I had died and gone to Heaven…

Riley smiled. "I like inventing solar surfers; I find that homemade run better than bought ones do."

"No kidding," I said looking at all the gleaming boards. I was about to reach for one when I stopped myself. "May I?"

"Of course."

I selected a black one that had black sails. Riley's models looked so complicated compared to my own.

"I used to solar surf back home," I said as I looked over the perfect board, "so much, that I got on probation for it. Just before I left, I got caught flying in a 'restricted area' and my only surfer was taken away."

Riley had a look of concern on her face. "That's horrible, especially if it's your only one…"

"And my dad helped me build it."

"So you lost the last bit of your dad too," Riley finished.

I nodded while looking at the various boards. The subject was getting a little too personal, so I decided to turn the tables. "How did you get the boards to work in space?"

Riley shrugged. "Simple. The solar surfers I invent are enhanced with artificial gravity, similar to the ship's in space, giving it the ability to be ridden anywhere throughout the Etherium."

"And they work just as well as regular ones do?" I wondered.

"Not exactly. Since these are meant for use in space, you have to keep in mind about the forces in space. And there's a really strong net force out here, so I have to create them with the same net force and add a resistance level to it. So if you tried to use it on land, it would go a great deal slower…sorry for totally going into nerd mode on you," she chuckled, "I just haven't met someone who knows how to solar surf in a long time."

I laughed. "I think it's totally cool. Most girls on Montressor don't even know what a solar surfer is, let alone how to build one."

She smiled at the compliment. I noticed a black and white surfer on her desk. "Is that the one you were riding today?"

"Yeah, I was giving it a test run. I was up last night making it since I couldn't sleep."

"You built this whole thing in one night?"

Riley nodded as she began running her fingers along the sail.

"Major props to you."

I looked at some more solar surfers, eyeing a board that was as blue as sapphires and had charcoal sails.

"Tell you what. If Silver isn't running you too hard tomorrow, would you want to take one of these out for a spin? I mean, if you're up for it…"

"I would love that. I haven't been on a solar surfer in at least four months," I stated. Riley smiled, showing off her straight white teeth.

"Well it's getting late. See you tomorrow," I said while retreating to her door.

"Night. Good luck sleeping," she winked.

I let out a chuckle. "Thanks."

Gently, I closed her bedroom door and softly walked back to the crew's quarters. I slipped out of my boots and collapsed onto my hammock. Closing my eyes, I smiled at the thought of what tomorrow would bring.

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><p><strong>Yay! I've been on my computer for six hours editing, so I apologize if there are little mistakes here and there. Also I'm going to New York for my spring break next week so I won't be able to update: Reviews are much appreciated!:)**

**~KeybladeGirl**


	6. Plans

**Hello there! New York was abosolutely amazing! My friends and I are planning to move there and go to NYU for college:p Beautiful city. LOVE it there! Anyways, this chapter is pretty short, only because I didn't want to merge two chapters together since it would drag on and on and I don't want to bore you all:) So that means I'll update quicker because I have the next few chapters planned out! YAAAAY:) Also I'm apologizing ahead of time about how I keep changing the point of view in this chapter; I just wanted you guys to know everything that was going on:p Alright! Enough with my flim flammery! On with the story! **

**Disclaimer: Until I can raise enough money to buy it, Treasure Planet shall remain in Disney's hands. However, I do own Riley Davidson and her story.**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

I found it close to impossible to wake up the next morning. How did spacers wake up this early everyday and manage to look so energized?

A collection of grunts and moans erupted from the crew members when they realized it was time for them to get up. The usual the dim room was now brighter than a solar fire in the summer. We must be passing through the warmer part of the galaxy now, I thought while tugging on my boots and dragging myself up the stairs behind the two men who were friends of Riley. They glanced back at my noisiness and scowled, beginning to pick up their pace to breakfast. Why was this crew so exclusive and rude?

~Riley's POV~

I decided I would bail on the whole breakfast idea this morning. Silver had asked me to some how gather any valuable information today, so I was trying to listen to Amelia and Arrow's conversation that was taking place next door.

"I don't particularly like having two teenagers on this vessel," Amelia's voice rang out, "Mr. Hawkins has quite a despicable attitude and Miss Davidson is horrendous in the behavior department."

"Well, without Mr. Hawkins, we wouldn't be on this voyage. He did find the treasure map _and_ Doctor Doppler did pay for everything. Just think of the things we'll find on Treasure Planet."

I smiled at Arrow's words. We would find truly incredible things on Treasure Planet, I was hoping anyway.

"I think we should put the crew in the brig while Mr. Hawkins, you and I, and Delbert explore the planet. I do not trust them one bit, and I do not want their greedy hands anywhere near treasure."

My smile tugged down into a tight frown. I had been waiting for an opportunity like this for ages; there was no way we would be confined to the brig after everything we've been through to get here.

"They might suspect we don't trust them by doing so."

"I am against them coming. For all we know, they could be planning a mutiny as we speak."

My breath caught in my throat. This trip meant the world to me. To Silver. To the crew. All of us had our own individual reasons for agreeing to be a crew on the Legacy. If we were discovered now, everything we'd ever dreamed of would be thrown away for good, and we would never be allowed on a ship again. No wonder Silver hugged us so much. Three days on this ship and the captain wanted us in the brig!

"Amelia, you're being irrational. They may not seem like the most trustworthy crew in the Etherium, but I'm positive that a mutiny completely beyond their doings."

I had heard enough. Silver told me that he and Jim would be cleaning the exterior of the ship today, and he would appreciate my help when I was done "collecting information." I ditched my jacket and picked up a flaming red solar surfer to use. My mind wandered to the captain and first mate's talk. There was no way I was going to miss out on something like this. I wasn't going to give up on my brother that easily.

~Jim's POV~

"Put some elbow into it!" Silver ordered.

And I thought swabbing the deck was bad! This devious cyborg cook was making me scrape all of the barnacles off the hull of the Legacy. There had to be _trillions_ of them. The worst part was Silver wanted me to finish in an hour. One freaking hour to clean an entire hull of rock hard barnacles. That's just heartless.

"Ugh!" I yelled as I couldn't get a stubborn shell off the thick wood. "Silver! This is hopeless!"

"If Riley can do it, I'm sure yeh can do it, too." Silver motioned further down the ship.

Riley was scraping off all the barnacles with complete ease. She was floating on a crimson solar surfer with matching sails.

"How?"

"I used t' make 'er do t'is everyday when she was young. Taught 'er some discipline."

I watched in awe as her bare muscles tightened as she continued to scrape away. I swear, she pried off at least fifty of the pesky little things in a solid motion.

"C'mon, Jimbo! If yeh keep starin', Riley will finish t'is all by 'erself!" My cheeks heated a bit as I turned my back to Silver and kept scraping. It was midday, but stars were already starting to come out in the sky. They winked and glimmered as we passed by.

Silver and I started talking about everything and anything. Space. Solar Surfing. Food. Astronomy. And lastly, family. "So yeh left yer mum back on Montressor to come on t' Legacy?"

I grunted as another barnacle was ripped off the ship. "Yeah. She needed a ton of convincing before she even considered the thought of letting me go."

"Why's t'at?"

"I'm not really sure. Probably because my dad left and never came back."

I gritted my teeth and mouthed 'Stupid!' to myself, realizing I had said more then I intended.

"Ah. Sorry lad." Silver's happy tome was replaced with a quiet, sad voice. I shrug, turning my back to him.

"Hey, no big deal. I'm doin' just fine." Although the sound of my voice clearly suggested otherwise, I just kept my cool.

"Is t'at so? Well, since t' Cap'n 'as put yeh in my charge, like it er not, I'll be poundin' a few skills into t'at t'ick head o' yers t' keep yeh outta trouble!" Silver tapped my forehead like I was little kid who wasn't paying attention.

"What?"

"From now on, I'm not lettin' yeh outta me or Riley's sight!" From the amused expression of his face, I could tell Silver was enjoying this.

"You can't j-"

"Yeh won't s'much as eat, sleep, or scratch yer bum wit'out my sayin' so!"

"Don't do me any favors!" I growled, utterly outraged.

"Oh, yeh can be sure of t'at, lad! You can be sure of t'at!"

Who did this guy think he was? I wasn't exactly the kind of guy who enjoyed being babysat, well, even though I practically already was. But I didn't mind Riley as much as I did Silver.

Forget I said that.

Before I could question myself, a particular strawberry blond flew over. She grinned mischievously. "Mind if I steal him, Silver?" Riley motioned to me while holding on to her solar surfer with one hand. Silver rolled his eyes at her. "For a few minutes."

Riley's sky blue eyes shifted toward me. "Ready?" She outstretched a pale hand toward me.

"Yeah." I grasped her soft hand, only to be shocked. Riley's arm tensed up a bit. Had she felt that, too? Was that _really_ a shock? I couldn't even th-

"You comin' or what? I mean, I could just leave you with Silver if you want," she teased.

I rolled my eyes at her preposterous suggestion and hoisted myself onto the back of her solar surfer. "Are you sure this will hold both of us?" I asked uneasily.

"Chill. These hold up to four hundred pounds, so even someone like Silver could ride if they wanted."

I fought back a laugh as Silver's cyborg eye turned red. "Do yeh want t' repeat t'at, lass?"

"It's okay, Silver. All cooks are meant to be chubby."

Before Silver could react, Riley jerked her solar surfer into the air. I hastily held on to her waist, surprised by the prompt action. Riley laughed. "Man, I'm screwed."

I laughed as well. "Why'd you say it?"

She shrugged. "Someone's gotta tell him to lay off the Bonzabeast Stew."

I smiled and shook my head. Now I understood why Silver was so stressed all the time.

Riley landed on the ship's main deck. "Wait here. I'm going to go get a board for you."

Riley dismounted her surfer and ran off to her room, leaving me with burning arms, cheeks, and a confused conscience. What was this girl _doing_ to me? Moments after, Riley returned with a board concealed with a burlap bag. She set it next to her and quickly took out a wrench to tighten a loose bolt on her surfer.

"How come you weren't at breakfast this morning?" I wondered aloud.

Riley shrugged, not turning to me. "Wasn't really that hungry, I guess." After she was satisfied, she whipped off the bag, revealing the sapphire surfer I had taken a liking to the day before.

I chuckled and took the beauty out of her arms. "So you gonna teach me how to use this?" I asked while unleashing the turquoise blue sails.

"No, I'm going to let you plummet to your death." I rolled my eyes and got on the board.

Riley did the same. "So by your right foot is the foot latch. The button behind your left increases speed, the one next to your foot is your brake, and the one in front of it closes or opens the sails. Got it?"

I nodded. I was super eager to start. Riley blasted off the deck until she was a solid thousand feet higher in the air. I shifted into a slightly more comfortable position and slammed my foot on my speed button. My hair whipped behind me as the air tugged it this way and that. The engines on these solar surfers run so much smoother than the regular ones.

I tilted my surfer up more into the air. I really wanted this board. It was perfect, just like the person that invented it.

"Riley!" Her head turned causing her hair to fall perfectly over her shoulder.

"Mind teaching me a few tricks?" Her face mirrored mine.

"It's basically like free falling from a really high elevation. Ever done that before?"

I smiled and gave a brief nod.

"So just add a few back flips, corkscrews, 360s, and a few twists and turns and it'll pretty much look like this." Riley closed her sails and instantly dropped at a 90 degree angle. She started doing everything she named off, and looked like a total pro doing it. Once she was near the ship, her cherry sails sprung back to life and a few extra solar cells bursted off the sails.

"You try!" she called up to me.

Now or never, I thought. I closed my sails, tilted back, and let myself fall. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I flipped and twisted at an impressive speed. God, I missed feeling so free like this! At the last possible moment, my sail flew back open and I glided back to the awaiting inventor. "How was that?"

"Not bad."

I grinned.

"Jimbo! Play time's over! I need yeh t' get back t' work!"

I groaned, but obediently sailed back down to the deck. Riley followed and took my board.

"Thanks for today. It was really fun," I smiled.

Morph bombarded my face with a million little licks as if he hadn't seen me in forever. I laughed at the energetic blob.

"Anytime," Riley smiled weakly.

~Riley's POV~

My room was darker than the Etherium at midnight. It was dinnertime on the ship, but I wasn't hungry. Wasn't happy, wasn't sad, wasn't thinking clearly; I was a mess.

I sat on my bed and let my face fall into my hands.

"Ugh!" I exclaimed as I threw a class pencil holder across the room, hearing a loud shattering sound result.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist on my desk. A booming echo rang out and about my room. Everything was frustrating me: My parents, my brother, this voyage, whether or not my family actually was alive or not, the mutiny, and Jim. God, he was so irritating! I practically have to do all the talking just to get something out of him!

I knew I wasn't being entirely fair, because I do the exact same thing. I prevented myself from throwing more items at my walls my digging my fingers into my neck.

"_Deep breaths, Rils,"_ he would tell me _"everything will work out eventually. You're strong, you're good-hearted and honest, and you've got a smart head on your shoulders. You can do this,"_ he said.

He was wrong. I was none of those things, at least anymore. Suddenly, my dog tag was open again and my brother's face shone up to me. He always had a way with words and was the only one who could calm me down, especially when I was angry like this.

I needed to think. Somewhere alone for a few hours.

The crow's nest. It was absolutely perfect. I kicked a few shards of glass to the side of my door and threw it open. The black night was chilly and lonesome, but I could never remember that it always was for me. Sure I have Silver, Ray, Nathaniel, and a few other crewmates, but no one can replace your family. Absentmindly running my fingers through my hair seemed to be something I did frequently these days. I rarely slept. I never felt hungry anymore. The only thing I seemed to do right was making solar surfers.

I sat in the large wooden circle and propped my chin on hand. My hair whipped around me due to the wind that was beginning to pick up. Familiar constellations began forming all around the Legacy. A small smile was brought to my face at the glorious sight. Something about the stars had intrigued me since a young age. Maybe it was because my parents were celestial charters and astronomers, or maybe because I was both a spacer and a pirate. Either reason deemed an appropriate explanation.

The galaxy and its many hidden wonders distracted me from my earlier rampage of anger, at least for a little bit, until a certain shithead spider joined me up here.

My chin was resting on my clenched hands to keep myself from breaking his other arm. "Beat it, Scroop. I'm not in the mood to see your face."

He hissed. "Ssssilver sssimply told me to alert you of our new plan to get rid of the Firssst Mate."

This grabbed my attention. "Arrow?"

"Yesss. He'sss our prime target. If we eliminate him, the entire mutiny will be a great deal easssier."

I gave a curt nod to show I understood and continued looking at the stars. Scroop was gone, and my skin was crawling with guilt. I never took a liking to Mr. Arrow, and he sure as hell didn't like me, but I still felt it wasn't right to kill him because of our plan.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all thinking: Just ask Silver to call it off since you're his first mate!

No can do. Silver calls the shots, whether I'm on board or not. Now you see all the stress I'm under? Killing people left and right and not being able to say anything about it. Silver told me that piracy was gradually going to get easier, but he's been in the business longer than I have. A long sigh escaped my mouth.

Looks like I was going to have another sleepless night tonight.

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><p><strong>Woooo! Okay. I promise that if I don't update soon, I'll give you all a virtual cookie as an apology!;) In the mean time, see that button down there? Yeah, the one that says "Review?" If you click it, I'll give you TWO cookies!:D They help me update faster:) Love you all and thank you for the 1,000+ hits!:)<strong>

**~KeybladeGirl**


	7. Questions

**Wooooahhhh what? Yeah, I really love you all;D And again, this chapter is really short, but if I had combined it with the las chapter, it would've been over 4,000 words:O I will probably udate pretty soon because I got everything planned out!:D YAAAAAAYYYYYYYY! **

**Disclaimer: Until someone decides to team up with me to buy Treasure Planet from Disney, it'll remain with them. HOOWWWEVVVERRRRR I do own Riley Davidson and her story:)**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

The next few days on the ship were dull. Silver had me working so hard, I barely had time to take a breath in between jobs. Morph tried to keep me entertained; he enjoyed making fun of crew members by morphing into them and mocking them. I rarely saw Riley anymore. She never came to meals or came to talk to Silver while he "supervised" me. She had become non existent. I had debated countless times about asking Silver if she was okay or not, but I never got the chance to. Even if I was lucky enough to see her around the Legacy, she disappeared before I could even open my mouth.

So you could imagine how surprised I was when I saw her the next morning at breakfast. Except she wasn't _really_ there. She was sitting as far away from the crew as physically possible with nothing but a cup of coffee in front of her slimming figure.

Her blond hair was shielding herself from everyone. I noticed that her two friends kept sending worried looks her way, but continued to talk amongst themselves.

"Silver?" I asked simultaneously entering the chef's kitchen.

"Yes, lad?"

"Is Riley…okay?"

Silver sighed thoughtfully, as if he was picking his words carefully. "She goes t'rough t'ese…fazes every couple o' months…"

Well that made everything a million times more awkward.

"Uh…you mean like, her…y'know…" I silently begged that I wouldn't have to finish my sentence.

Silver busted up laughing. "O' no, not like t'at, Jimbo! It's just a faze she goes t'rough where everyt'ing she picks up is t'rown at someone's head."

I raised an eyebrow at Silver as he handed me a grey tub and motioned for me to clean the dirty tables. The small galley had been really dark today; we were passing into a part of the galaxy that was always nighttime.

I glanced at Riley for a few moments. She was as still as a statue, only moving to drink her coffee.

I set the tub full of dishes gently on the table next to her. As quietly as I could, I made my way to her table.

"You alright?" I asked softly.

Those piercing blue eyes locked with mine. Pain. Hurt. Anger. Agony. Suffering. All were present in her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, and the dark circles under her eyes weren't hiding the fact any less.

Riley blinked and shook her head. She lowered her eyes back down to the table and took another sip of her coffee.

I gathered the rest of the dirty dishes and headed back to the kitchen. On my way there, I nearly lost my footing. I wasn't sure if it had been my own clumsiness or a kind act of the crew, but the plentiful snickers made me suspect the latter.

Riley remained motionless. Was I the only one who wondered why she was acting like this?

"Say, Jimbo, could yeh go ask Dr. Doppler when we be gettin' more supplies?"

I nodded and ran up the stairs, across the deck, and all the way to Amelia's stateroom. A few knocks later, I was permitted into her quarters.

"Silver wants to know when we'll be getting more food supplies."

Delbert pondered for a moment. Amelia's room was covered in maps and books on the galaxy. I hadn't seen the Doc around in a while because him and the captain had been trying to find a way to shorten the course to Treasure Planet, but hadn't had much luck.

"Well, I do believe we'll be receiving a shipment in a week or so. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Doctor. Ensure Mr. Silver that he'll be fully restocked by next week."

"Aye, Captain," I said.

Silver and his food.

Just as I was about to reenter the galley, I heard two voices shouting.

"Silver, we're all getting more and more impatient each day! We can't stand waiting for this long!" It was Riley and Silver arguing.

"I told yeh! It's not goin' t' be for a bit!" Silver sounded pissed.

"Damn it, Silver, I can't take it anymore!" By the sound of it, Riley was pissed too.

"Riley, yeh need t' calm-"

"You know what? I don't WANT to calm down! I'm tired of hurting other people so much. I'm _sick_ of actually believing that my family actually might be alive! I'm DONE being-"

Riley was cut off by Silver. "Riley!"

A loud crash came from downstairs. I ran down to see what had happened.

Oh my God.

There was an enormous pile of broken dishes by the sink and a boiling Silver staring down Riley. They, apparently, hadn't noticed me run in because both of them were still shouting at each other. And, Riley was still hurling things at him. When her hand found a giant plate, I decided that she was taking it a bit too far.

"Riley!" I yelled, "Riley! You gotta stop!" I pulled her arms behind her back and yanked the plate out of her hands. Silver breathed a sigh of relief while Riley just kept getting angrier and angrier and her attempts to free herself kept getting more and more difficult to retain.

"Calm down. It's okay," I said as soothing as I could.

That caused her to completely lose it, and before I could even register what had happened, _I_ was the one with my hands behind my back (in an extremely painful way if I may add) and my back slammed up against the wall.

"Don't _ever_ touch me again," she said with her gritted teeth and arms tense with rage. Riley shoved me against the wall, her eyes ablaze with fury. She swiftly ran up the stairs and was gone.

It took me awhile before I got my breathing under control and my heart beat back to normal. I've never seen a girl that tempestuous before. Hell, I'd never seen ANYONE like that, _ever_.

"Yeh alright lad?" Silver asked cautiously.

"Define alright."

Silver shook his head. "I can't believe t'at lass sometimes." Silver began sweeping up the mess. Morph came out of a pot on the counter trembling violently. The poor little guy looked petrified. I knelt next to Silver and picked up pieces of plates. "This is a _usual_ thing for her?"

"Well Riley 'as a short temper, and 'er life 'as probably been ta 'ardest out o' all o' us."

This was shocking news to me. "What-"

"Don't ask me, lad. I keep tellin' yeh, yeh gotta ask 'er yerself."

I was getting fed up with Silver saying that all the time. "Fine. I will."

I trudged up the creaky staircase and looked around. Even though the sky didn't match the time of day, it was still a lovely sight to see. The glowing of each individual star made me jealous of every single spacer that was able to live their life in space. I looked up at the silver moon. It was casting moonlight all around the ship, making it appear a ghastly grey.

A flow of blond hair distracted me from my surroundings. Riley was on top of the crow's nest.

Here goes nothing.

~Riley's POV~

Okay, maybe trying to chuck a giant plate at Silver's head wasn't the _best_ way to handle the situation. But it's like he doesn't seem to understand that I feel useless just waiting here when I could be finding my family.

I sighed as I leaned back and opened my tag again. "I'll find you guys. I promise I'll never give up 'til I know the truth."

"Find who?"

I didn't realize I had said that out loud until a certain boy questioned me about it.

"No one," I said quickly and closed the dog tag.

"What's that?"

"What are you doing up here?" I asked changing the subject.

"I came to see if you were okay."

"You mean to see if I was strangling a crew member or something?" I said not trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

Jim stayed silent for a moment, just looking at me.

I really hated it when he did that. It bugged me when I couldn't understand what people were thinking.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked finally.

"It's the only place I can come and think, alone." I hoped he would get the message. When he didn't leave, I groaned and buried my face into my hands.

"Mind if I sit?"

Yeah, I minded! But all I did was shrug and cast my eyes away from his curious look. I swear, if he tried to get anything out of me or have some stupid heart-to-heart chat with me, I'd kick his ass all the way back to Montressor.

I set my chin on both of my propped hands, just admiring all the stars.

"What happened back there?" Jim asked timidly.

Here we go.

"Silver ticked me off," I said bluntly.

"It looked like he burned all of your solar surfers to me."

I shrugged, still refusing to look at him. Why? 'Cause he'd guilt me into apologizing with those damn eyes of his.

"Don't you think it was a bit-?"

My jaw clenched. "I _really_ don't need consoling from you, right now, okay?"

"Riley, just listen-"

"Don't try to make me a better person, okay? Because, clearly, I'm not and probably won't ever be." My voice started out strong, but ended up a quiet murmur.

"Riley, just hear me out," Jim said.

I paused briefly, and then finally looked at him. "I'm listening."

"Silver told me you've been through a lot, and your life hasn't been the greatest, but you can't bottle all of your feelings up like that, otherwise they'll all spill out like today. I mean, I know that it's hard to tell people what your life is like, and I get that you're going through pain-"

This is what I didn't want to here. Another person thinking they knew what my life is like.

"Don't act like you know me, Jim. And don't _even_ pretend like you actually know what pain feels like. I'm tired of people trying to understand me and get me to open up because truthfully, I don't want to. I deal with my feelings in silence on my own, and that's not gonna change."

I started climbing down the crow's nest, only to have him follow me. "Riley!"  
>Can this kid take a hint? "Leave me alone." I stuffed my balled up hands into my pockets and began walking away. It took all of the self control I had-which wasn't much-to not turn around and slug him across the face.<p>

"So that's it? When someone tries to make you feel better you just stomp away with your little temper? You're seriously gonna run away from your problems?"

I stopped short and took a deep breath. I swear, he was asking for a beating. "Until they catch up with me, then yeah, pretty much."

Jim scoffed. "I don't get you."

I smirked. "Join the club."

Still, he continued. "Is this what you do? Throw a tantrum and hope everyone will come begging for forgiveness? Or is it just you're way of getting attention?"

He needs to learn to pick his fights more carefully. C'mon. Did he not see me snap Scroop's arm like a twig? Or the pile of broken dishes? Yeah, I did that in like two minutes.

I grabbed his collar and thrust him against the pole of the crow's nest. "Frankly, I was doing just fine until you showed up. But really, enlighten me with the "problems" I have, because I'd love to see what fault's you've found in me already."

Jim fought my grip, but that only caused me to hold onto him tighter.

"Well, you seem to just push people away when all they want to do is help. It's better to just talk it out then chucking things at people's heads."

I sighed. I wasn't in the mood for fighting, at least right now. My hands loosened and I released Jim. "What are you? Some weird fifteen-year-old therapist?"

Jim laughed. "That's what I get for growing up with only a mom, I guess."

I ran my hand through my hair, thinking about his words and how right he was. "See you around."

Jim smiled slightly and nodded.

I made my way to the galleys. "Silver?" I called.

The kitchen was spotless. He really got stuff done when he needed to.

Morph zoomed toward me and looked at me questioningly.

"Where's Silver, buddy?" I asked while petting his head with my finger.

The infamous cyborg walked out if the storage room with his back toward Morph and me, probably taking inventory on the food or just making sure the crew hadn't stolen anything.

"Hey," I said.

Silver flinched and spun around. "Yeh scared me!"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to throw anything at you anymore."

He smiled. "T'at's always a good t'ing t' know."

I rubbed the back of my neck. I was never good at apologies. "Um…I'm sorry for acting like that. Especially to you, since you saved my life and all."

Silver shook his head. "Will yeh ever drop t'at?"

"How can I? I was on the streets alone, starving, and barely conscious. Then a big ol' tough pirate came along, took me in, and taught me everything I know," I winked, "I can't ever repay you for that." I almost cringed at how sincere my tone sounded. I don't do the whole "touchy-feely" stuff.

I noticed Silver rubbing his good eye.

"Aw, I know you love me and everything, Silver, but you don't have to cry!"

Silver chuckled and shook his head. I could only imagine what he was thinking about me.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around the man I trusted with my life, my best friend.

"Yer like t' daughter I wish I had."

I grinned. "And you're like the dad I wish I still had."

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><p><strong>BOOM!:O Leave me a review and let me know what you thought!:D Next chapter will be out soon I promise!:)<strong>

**~KeybladeGirl **


	8. Answers

**I'm the worst person ever! I'm SO SO SOOOOO sorry for the incredibly late update! I've been super busy! When I last updated, I had Drama rehearsals for our musical that lasted until 8, then I had the performance, theeeeennnnn my lovely teachers decided to give us four projects and twenty million tests, and that took me about two weeks to get the projects done and study, then we had the last week of school, so we went on field trips and stuff like that. And on last Friday, my friends and I decided to celebrate our first and last day of summer together, so I was occupied all weekend. Then the past week I've had summer school! GAHHH I really hate waking up early in summer. It's awful. So anyways, on with the story I've made you all wait for for so long!:p**

**Disclaimer: I may REALLY REALLLLLLLLLLYYYYYY love Treasure Planet, but I don't own it. BUUUTTT I do own Riley Davidson and her story.**

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><p>~Jim's POV~<p>

Now, I could bore you with the excruciating work Silver had me breaking my back over, or I could tell you about the interesting things that had happened over the course of this week.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

So, the day after the Riley incident, she spent most of her time in her room or solar surfing around the ship while I was left to covet her time on her surfers. I just needed a day where I wasn't waking up before the sun and going to bed when every single star was out in the sky. I never had a moment to myself; this job was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And the worst part was that Silver seemed to _enjoy_ me complaining and sluggish abilities. That left me irritated and more confused than ever.

Silver had been telling me that he was planning on testing out the ship's lifeboats for Amelia-making me also jealous-and needed me to help make sure the boats were secure when he took off for a bit. Both of us were on a smaller version of the crow's nest that was connected to the original one itself. Silver was teaching me how to tie the knots to the docks correctly, but I wasn't really paying attention to him right now. My mind was in the violet clouds above me right now.

I was thinking about my father again.

I had known my parents had started fighting a lot when I was around twelve. It didn't bother me much, since I didn't fully understand why they fought and also because I thought they would just work it out since they were adults. But my parents did still love each other. I mean, they _were _married right? One night, I stayed up and eavesdropped on one of their arguments.

* * *

><p>"Sarah, please, listen to me-"<p>

"All you ever think about is space! I know you were a spacer before you met me, but you need to let it go and think about your kid! Jim rarely sees you anymore. You're alienating your son, David. He needs you."

"You're not listening! Sarah, I thought I could handle settling down in one place for once, but I just can't. I miss it all too much. So much, that it's getting hard for me to sleep at night."

"No. Don't even think about it. You can't do that to Jim, it's not fair to him or to me. When you married me, you made a commitment to stay by my side through thick and thin, and when we had Jim, you made a commitment to be the best father you could be to him-"

My dad made an exasperated groan. "He can come with me to space! I know he's always wanted to go after all of the stories I'd told him and-"

"Absolutely not!" Mom shrieked. "He could get hurt, or even killed!"

"Then I don't know what to tell you. I'm out of options."

"You're just going to quit, after all of this?"

My dad sighed then. I was getting really nervous; my parents never fought this bad before, ever. Especially Dad talking about leaving…

"I'll always love you, Sarah, but I need to go, at least for a little while."

At that point, I could take it no longer, so I balled up my twelve-year-old body and cried until I went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Three years later and this moment from my past still crossed my mind every now and then. If I had ran downstairs and tried to make my parents see how irrational they were being, would my dad have stayed longer? There I went again, blaming myself and dwelling in my past.<p>

I needed to be alone for awhile.

While Silver explained to me which way I needed to loop the knot, I tuned him out and tied it the way my dad taught me to tie a boat or solar surfer's rope when my mom was working. I secured it around a metal circle that was used for the sails and slid down the rope. I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking on the edge of the ship's walls.

No one else really knows how much I miss my dad. He was my hero, my best friend. Ever since our voyage started, everything I had seen reminded me of my dad. Solar surfing space, all the stories he told me when I was a kid, the ship, and Silver. Silver and I had gotten pretty close recently. And despite the workload he dumped on me everyday, I enjoyed talking to him about things. He was kindhearted and gave really good advice on questions I had. He was exactly like my dad.

Only my dad started showing less and less interest around the Benbow each day. All he would do was stare out my parents' bedroom window and watch the different spacers come to the Inn. He was homesick for space, and you could tell he was holding on by a thread. Once, I asked him what was so great about being a spacer.

"You get to see the galaxy, Jimmy. Meet new people and see their cultures. You hear the most fascinating stories from the strangest looking people. You can come and go whenever you please; nothing's holding you back to stay. And the views! In some places, you fall asleep and wake up to the stars."

"If space is so wonderful, why did you leave, Dad?"

"I fell in love with your mother, Jimmy. You and she are much more important than space is to me, son. I never want you to forget that."

And I hadn't. Those few words kept me hoping that he would come back home, and even though I hate to admit it, still do.

I had realized that I just walked the perimeter of the ship at least five times, so I made my way to the galleys.

The whole crew was gathered downstairs, most were crowded around a table where Silver was telling a story. Others were scattered about the room listening and laughing at the appropriate time. Riley was sitting next to Silver smiling and adding in snippets to the story whenever he paused.

I took a cup of creamed coffee from a table with many cups lined up for the crew. What was going on?

I decided to sit myself down on the stairs and listen to Silver's story, even though I had missed a great chunk of it.

"So's we's standin' t'ere, fightin' off all o' t'ese pirates tryin' to take back ta ship, when Riley 'ere slashes ta leader's leg and surrenders immediately!"

Riley grinned. "I think that's the first time I've seen a grown man cry."

The crew started laughing and shouted comments like "You go girl!" and "You tell 'im!"

Mr. Onus and Mr. Turnbuckle started asking Silver and Riley a ton of questions and soon, the rest of the crew started asking too.

After answering a few questions, Riley stood up and walked over to me.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah. Are all of these stories true?"

Riley smiled and sat down. "Yup. I've been there for every single one."

"Wow." I noticed that Silver's huge jacket was draped on her shoulders. It nearly reached her knees. I shoved all the new thoughts forming out of my head. We were just friends, and it would stay like that.

"So do you have any other family on Montressor, like any siblings?" Riley asked, sipping her usual black coffee.

"Nope. Just me and my mom. Delbert's basically family though; he and my mom have known each other since they were in high school."

She nodded and looked back to Silver.

"What about you?" I really wanted to know what was up with her family situation, but I knew it was foolish to ask her since we had met four weeks prior, and I was really scared of her throwing something at me.

Riley shook her head. "Just Silver."

"What about your dad?" I brought up the unfinished conversation from our talk at the infirmary.

Riley shook her head again, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"At least tell me what planet you're from."

Riley paused briefly. "Pluvius. That's why I'm so pale."

I laughed. Pluvius was the planet that made 80% of the galaxy's water because it rained almost year-round for them. It was a really small planet that was located in the Coral Galaxy, which was relatively close to Montressor.

And we went back and forth like that, asking each other things about ourselves. Silly things like our favorite time of day (we both liked night), the best thing Silver's cooked before (Riley said Bonzabeast Stew, I said one of his breakfast dishes), favorite tricks on solar surfers (hers was flipping and twisting, mine was twisting while free falling), and our least favorite member on the voyage (can you guess?).

"I was simply standing up for myself and not letting him boss me around, and he over reacted and stuck his claw into my arm. Now I have this." Riley took her arm out of Silver's jacket and showed her now unstitched gash she had shown me before. It was red and a medium shade of purple.

"And, I have the other one below my shoulder. But I guess it makes up for me breaking his arm."

I shook my head and smiled. Riley looked back over at Silver and listened to the new story he was telling. My eyes settled on her dark violet scar on her cheek. I didn't want to be rude and ask how she got it, but it was really nagging my mind on how she could've gotten it. It must have been awful, since the color was so dark.

Riley glanced at me, probably wondering what I was staring at, but she turned away. I nearly smacked myself for being so rude. She was probably stared at a lot because of the mark.

To change the awkwardness, I asked another question. "What's your favorite part of the ship?"

Riley's pink lips curved into a smile. "I'll show you." She placed Silver's jacket on a table and walked up the stairs without making a sound. I on the other hand sounded so noisy compared to her silent actions.

The previous reddish purple sky was a deep navy blue now. Thousands and thousands of white diamonds sprinkled the sky and contrasted nicely with the darkness of the night. Now my dad's words made sense. A slight wind blew across the Legacy every few seconds, giving the ship a calm atmosphere.

"You coming, Montressor?" Riley smiled towards me from a few feet ahead.

I wasn't sure if I got chills from her beautiful smile, or from the chilly wind. Either way, I was bothered.

"Yeah, I'm coming, Pluvius." She rolled her eyes and continued to smile as we walked to the front of the ship.

"Where are we going?" I wondered aloud.

"Here."

I looked out to see the bowsprit pointing dead ahead. "This is your favorite?"

"You ever been on the tip of one?"

Uh, no. As I opened my mouth to lie and say I had, Riley cut me off.

"That's what I thought. C'mon." She hoisted herself onto the sliver of wood and walked to the tip of the bowsprit and sat down, all without even giving the ropes a glance.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Since when does Jim Hawkins care about safety?"

I rolled my eyes and lifted myself onto the rung. I grabbed the rope and slowly walked to wear Riley was sitting. Ever so carefully, I sat down next to her and stared at the dazzling sky in front of us.

"I like coming out here to the front of the ship. It reminds me to look forward to the future and not dwell on my past."

"And you call me the therapist."

"Shut up."

I did like her words though. It made me think that I shouldn't keep thinking about all the trouble I got in at home or the bad experiences I had, but to look forward to what's to come.

"So you're dad took off when you were little?"

I really wanted to avoid the question, but if I wanted Riley to open up to me, I had to do the same with her.

"Yeah. He was a spacer before he met my mom but his heart belonged to the galaxies first, so he left when I was twelve."

Riley mulled that over in her head. "I can see where he's coming from; I'd have trouble adapting to one place. I've been in space for eight years, it's basically the only place I can call home."

Whoa, wait. "_Eight_ years?"

Riley laughed. "Yeah, since I was a little over seven. I've been with Silver for a few months longer than that though."

As if I didn't have a million questions for her already! That small statement added a trillion more things I wanted to ask Riley.

"Are you going to take after you're dad? Being a spacer, I mean."

How can she say something like that and just move on to the next subject like that? Despite that, I proceeded to answer the question.

"Yeah, I'd love to roam the galaxies. I want to travel and see all the planets and nebulas instead of being stuck on one planet for the rest of my life."

"Same here. Coming to space was the best decision I ever made."

"Do you ever think about going back home? Like going to see your friends and family?"

"Never made any friends at home and I have no idea where any of my relatives are. I have no ties to anyone, except Silver, so space is perfect for someone like me. Silver and Morph are all I need," Riley mused. Her voice sounded like something was missing, like she wasn't exactly telling the truth, but with Riley, you never really know.

"Where _have_ you been anyways? Eight years is a pretty long time to see things."

She smiled and looked at me. The moonlight was hitting her perfectly, every color of blue shone in her stunning eyes. We were sitting pretty close, so I could see that her eyes weren't just sky blue, but had flecks of teal and sapphire in them. I'd never seen a pair like those before, ever.

"Pretty much everywhere. I think there's about two places I've never been before, and that's it. Silver and I have explored about everywhere."

"You've been to Montressor?"

Riley bit her lip as she scanned her brain for any remembrance on coming to my home planet. "Oh, yeah! I was just there, like a couple months ago I think. I roamed around a little bit while Silver waited for our next ship to leave at the spaceport. Nice place."

"Thanks," I smiled. Even though I was loving space, Montressor was still home. It was nice to hear that someone else liked it too.

~Riley's POV~

I hated lying to him. I really did. I wasn't at Montressor that many months ago, but only a few weeks ago. The same night his home burned to the ground. In fact, I was right downstairs searching for the blasted map when Scroop shot his laser gun and it "accidentally" hit their overhead lights and set the room ablaze.

Remember how I told you I'm not too good at the whole killing people or ruining their lives thing? Yeah, that applies here as well. Jim was a great guy, and I'm sure his mom was too, and they seriously didn't deserve their home being destroyed by us heartless pirates. Although, we didn't necessarily intend to burn their house, I swear. Just a careless Scroop shooting his gun around. A lot of my stress had to do with him lately. Arrow came to mind instantly, and I winced at the upcoming extermination.

"Are you okay?" Jim asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little cold," I lied smoothly.

Jim was moving awkwardly next to me, so I swiveled my head to look at him. He was shrugging out of his jacket. "Here."

I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on (my thoughts were clearly elsewhere) so I was really confused by the action. "Huh?"

"Take it," he said gently.

What was he talking abo- Oh right! I said I was cold! Wow, I'm really stupid…

"Oh, I'll be fine, really. You don't have to do that."

Jim didn't move a single muscle. He can be way too stubborn at times.

I reluctantly took the bulky jacket and slid it on. I kept thinking about how damn cliché this was, but I didn't really mind. It _was_ a little cooler than usual out, and my denim jacket was in my room still, so I put the thoughts in the back of my mind and started thinking of something to say to break this unbearable silence.

But, Jim beat me to it. "This is a really stupid question, but have you ever seen a shooting star?"

I grinned. "For starters, that is a really stupid question-"

Jim rolled his eyes. What? It was a dumb question to ask someone who's lived in space nearly her whole life!

"-but yes. I've seen several actually."

"Did you wish on any?"

"Every one."  
>Jim looked at me expectantly, thinking I would say what I wished for. Ha ha, no.<p>

"Have you seen any while you were here?" I asked him.

"Nope."

"Maybe you will. There's usually some every couple of months."

I continued looking at the stars, checking to see what time it was. It was around midnight; Jim and I had been talking for over two hours.

"It's midnight; we should probably get some sleep."

Jim nodded as he stood up to walk off the bowsprit. I jumped off of it and onto the middle of the deck. I slipped out of Jim's jacket and handed it to him. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." His hands brushed against mine on accident, which made my hand feel really warm. Hello, awkward silence.

"See you tomorrow," I said quickly and started walking back to my room in a flushed state.

I think I'm starting to lose my mind.

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><p><strong>Okay, just thought I'd enlighten you with some knowledge. "Pluvius" actually means "rainy" in Latin and the planet Riley's from is really rainy, so yeah:D I will try my best to update soon, but I have summer school for the next four weeks, then I have a week break, and then I'm going to Canada!:D Haha I'm super excited! Soooooo click that button down there and drop a review!:D <strong>

**~KeybladeGirl**


	9. Weaknesses

**Hello again!:) So I finished summer school two days ago!:D I'm sooooooo incredibley happy! My only friend got dropped last week so I basically wrote ninety percent of this in class because I had no one to talk to:p And I was a total loner sitting away from everyone else at break in this little garden place writing:/ it was quite sad:'( But, it was worth it because I got a lot done:D And one of my classmates came up to my desk and asked me what I was doing when I was writing and I ninja-closed my binder and was like "psh nothing!" I'm quite proud of myself:3 Anywaysss on with the chapter!:D**

**Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Treasure Planet was Disney's idea, however, Riley Davidson and her story was my idea:D**

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

~Riley's POV~

I woke up from a nightmare that night. Not your typical nightmare where a bad guy is trying to kill you type thing. Mine was much more horrific than that.

That's usually why I don't sleep too much. Ever since I was thirteen, I've never had a peaceful night. So, I started distracting myself by building solar surfers. But right now, I was too shaken to get up off my bed, let alone build a solar surfer.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. My hands clenched the headboard of my bed so fiercely, my knuckled turned white. I couldn't get my breathing under control either. Every breath I took resulted in a violent shudder that ran across my entire body.

God, what was happening to me?

Images of my nightmare flashed through my mind over and over again. And as childish as this sounds, I really wish my mom or dad were here right now. Not just because I had an awful dream and had no one to tell me that everything was going to be okay, but because I_ missed_ my parents.

Cut me slack, I haven't seen them since I was barely seven. I had to grow up way too fast and honestly, I wish I could just go back to being a kid again. At least for a little while.

I contemplated just going outside to calm down or go on a solar surfer ride but I felt like a giant weight was pressing me down, forbidding me from escaping. I let out a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding and slowly unclenched my hands off the headboard. My knuckled ached from being locked into the same position for the fifteen minutes I had spent trying to breathe normally. I opened my eyes and threw off my sheets. I had to get out of here.

Without any thought to it, I tugged on my boots and slid into a new tank top and my jacket. All ten inches of my hair was thrown back into a ponytail. I carried myself over to the full length mirror Silver insisted I needed (What wit' ye bein' a young lass and all) and skimmed myself over, checking to make sure I didn't look like I ran into a tornado. I still had the usual dark circles under my eyes and the normal little cuts and bruises I had here and there (I may have crash landed my solar surfers a few times no and then). My eyes settled on the dreadful scar on my face. Simply looking at the thing sent me back into a world of bad memories and excruciating pain. The worst part? Besides the stares and pitying looks people gave me, this scar has been the same black-purple color since I got it. That was six years ago. And it hadn't lightened in the least

I traced the awful memory and felt how far in it was still cut.

Damn it.

"'It'll fade in a few months,' they said," I mocked to myself while gathering a pile of astronomical charts and pens. "'You won't be able to even tell you had it!' Bullshit." I angrily shoved everything into a folder and threw that into my dad's old messenger bag that was hiding behind my desk. I was going to go out on a lifeboat and chart what I saw. It's what I always did when I went somewhere new or when we went on a different route than we regularly took. One day, I want to have every section of the galaxy mapped out. And considering I've been to about three-fourths of the Etherium, that day would be soon.

I quietly shut my door and walked down to where the lifeboats were docked. I turned to the tons or rope around the small area to set down the bag and to get some water stored in a hidden cabinet.

"What are you doing down here?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Who the hell was down here at two in the morn-

Jim.

I'm really starting to loathe how much he catches me off guard.

Regaining my composure, I looked at him. "I could ask you the same thing."

He was just leaning against a lifeboat, fiddling with a piece of rope. "Couldn't sleep."

"Snuff keeping you up?" I asked slinging the bag back on my shoulder.

"Something like that."

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be mysterious. Please. You can't beat me at my own game, especially by stealing my lines.

I tossed my things in the boat he was leaning against. It was the only lifeboat that had a turbo boost, and me being the reckless teenager that I am, prefer it over the other.

"Where are you going?"

"I stepped into the boat. "Out."

"Can I come with you? It's really boring down here."

I began turning on the engine so it would be ready when I opened the hatch. "No." I jumped out and walked over to the switch that opened the bottom.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to come." I unlocked the case and typed in the pass code that I wasn't supposed to know.

"What if I go tell Silver?"

I chuckled. I'd heard that many times before. "Go right ahead."

When I turned from flipping the switch, my muscles tightened and my right arm tensed the way it did when I was angry (which makes for an amazing punch if may I point out).

Jim had my dad's bag suspended from his fingers, carelessly holding it.

Only thinking about getting the bag back, I called out, "Careful!"

Aw, shit.

As I processed how big of a mistake I just made, Jim slowly turned his head to me and gave me an inflaming grin. "Well, this bag," he swung it around a few times, "wouldn't want to go down there, would it?" He dangled it over the open hatch.

I began assessing my options. I could shrug and walk back to my fear filled room and let Jim do what he wanted with my dad's bag-which was totally not okay-or tackle him and wretch the bag out of his hands then take off, or I could just let him come along.

If I went with the first option, Jim would most likely rat me out to Silver (or even worse, Amelia) and I wouldn't be allowed to go anywhere off this bloody ship. So that was out. If I tried the second, I could risk having the bag fly out of Jim's hands and plummet into the starry night below, and that was something I wasn't going to consider. So the only thing I could do to save my sorry ass and the bag was to let him come along.

But do you really think I'd give up that easily?

"Jim," I said.

He looked at me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Can I have that back?" No matter how much that bag and everything inside of it meant to me, I did not want him coming with me. If my last resort was begging on my knees to get it back or to start crying, I'd do it.

"If you take me with you."

"No."

He let a finger out from under the worn strap. I felt myself lurch forward but stop as Jim took a step back. I could tell he was enjoying torturing me, but this wasn't funny. I worked too damn hard to put all of those charts and pictures together, and plus, I don't have much of my parent's stuff, so that bag meant a lot.

"Then I guess I'll keep this for a bit."

I had to remind myself to stay calm and to not freak out because he'd only drop it faster if I made any drastic moves.

"Please. I really need that."

One more finger gone.

I balled my hands into fists. Maybe reasoning wasn't the best way to go. "Jim, I'm not kidding. Give it back," I tried reaching for it, but Jim released another finger. One more and I'd never see the bag again.

I sighed and rubbed the side of my face with my hand. "I'll let you tag along on two conditions."

Jim smiled victoriously and wrapped his hand tightly around the bag. Thank God.

"First, you can't rat me out to the Captain."

"Done."

"And, you have to stay quiet."

"But-"

I simply started at him, no longer possessing any patience. The more time he wasted the more information I lost.

"Fine."

I snatched the beloved bag out of his hands and set it down in the lifeboat, me following after it. The boat's engine was ready to go, all I needed to do was lower the boat down and press a single button. I punched in a few keys and began descending.

"Wait!"

"Dude, hurry up," I said lazily.

Jim hopped in at the last moment and we were among the stars. I turned us a little and lowered the boat down so we wouldn't be seen by any crew members on the late shift.

"How far are we going?" Jim questioned looking around at the black sky.

"Far." I pressed the turbo boost on the panel and blasted farther.

Once we were in an open enough area, I reached into the bag for my folder when my fingers brushed against a cool cylinder. My telescope! I totally forgot I had left it in the bag!

Jim watched me as I set it up at the tip of the lifeboat.

Have I ever mentioned how much I _hate_ it when people watch me or stare at me? It creeps me out.

"What? Never seen a telescope before?"

"Not one like that. You have a Davidson 650. How do you even have it? Those cost thousands of dollars!"  
>So I had one of the most high-tech, state of the art, and expensive telescopes in the Etherium. Still doesn't give anyone the right to gawk. I mean, unless you're an astronomer or a celestial charter or a spacer. Then I don't mind as much.<p>

"My parents pretty much invented it," I said pointing to the side of the telescope where it said 'Davidson' in silver block letters.

I went back to get a few other lenses and avoided looking at Jim's face. I wasn't much of a bragger and I only told him that so he'd stop talking.

"Why's that bag so important to you anyways?"

I looked through the eyeglass and began to adjust it so it would focus on one constellation. "Didn't I tell you to stay quiet?"  
>Silence.<p>

My hands started twisting each knob this way and that subconsciously. I didn't have to think about it anymore.

Most parents teach their kids to walk or swim at an earlier age, but my mom and dad taught me how to use a telescope at the age of two. A freaking telescope. At two years old. I don't know what they were thinking, but I still really appreciated the skill. It came in handy quiet a lot in space.

I closed my eye and spun the rim to zoom in on a line of stars. "But to answer your question: it was my dad's." I walked back over and brought the bag to my side and began to draw the constellation.

"What's in the folder?"

"My life's work," I said looking at the star's pattern, "besides solar surfers."

"Can I?"

"If you lose anything I'll toss you off this boat."

Carefully, Jim examined all the papers I had. From constellations, to planet's appearances, to scientific data I had taken on the planet's or weather in space or the sky's color in different parts of the galaxy, I was proud of every single paper.

"You're really good at drawing."

"Not really. Just planets and stars."

"You charted Montressor?"

I smiled a little. "Yeah. I document everything."

"No wonder you didn't want me to drop the bag…"

"I'm still mad at you for that."

Jim rolled his eyes and continued looking at my celestial observations.

So despite having him there talking and what not, I got a lot of work done that night. And if I'm being completely truthful-which is not a regular thing for me-I really liked having Jim there with me. I felt a lot less lonely when he was around, like for the first time in what feels like forever, I had someone there for me. But no matter how much I enjoyed having his company, I couldn't keep doing this. Because pretty soon, I'm going to start trusting him, and trust was something I never did with anyone unless it was Silver. And not to mention all the other tangled up emotions that were inside me right now. Everything I was feeling was a giant, messy ball that refused to come clean. I had no idea what was going on there, so I just left the ball tangled. I never had the time to sort my feelings out and if I ever did, I ignored it. Basically, trusting him was dangerous because it would emit a weakness on my part, and I, Riley Davidson, have no weaknesses whatsoever. And I'm going to do everything on my part to keep it that way.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up at Jim. "Why are you asking?"

"You're frowning to yourself."

"Just thinking about a lot of stuff."

"Like?"

"Weakness. Trust. Things like that."

"So what's your weakness?"

I sighed and packed up my stuff. I had gotten all the information I needed and we needed to get back before anyone checked on the boats. "I don't have one. What about you?"

"You're lying," Jim said looking at my tired eyes, "everyone has one."

"I don't. I have no one that I care about, excluding Silver and my other two friends on board."

"See, there's your weakness."

"They can all take care of themselves, so I don't have to worry about them."

"You've never loved anyone? Not even a boy or two?"

He may have been teasing, but I took it pretty damn serious.

"I'm a pretty independent person who travels around constantly, so I don't have time for a relationship like that. And honestly, I don't really want a boyfriend."

"Why's that?" He asked, still staring at me with those blue eyes.

"I'd feel like I was always bothering him or annoying him if my day wasn't going good and I needed to talk to somebody about it. It just isn't my thing."

"You know, it's okay to lean on someone every now and then," Jim said softly.

"Yeah? Well not when you're in my shoes."

"I bet you've never even given a guy a chance."

"Nope. I've never had a boyfriend, and hopefully I never will."

"Never?"

"What about you? You seem like a total ladies man."

"I've had a few dates but nothing serious. Most of the girls I've met are all the same."

I sat next in the control seat and started warming up the engine again. "What's your weakness?"

"My mom. I'd do anything for her."

I nodded and blasted away back to the Legacy. It was nearly four thirty in the morning.

After tying the boat down securely, Jim and I sat in the boat in silence. I was thinking about things while unaware of my hand tracing my scar the way I do when I'm in deep thought.

"How'd that happen anyway?"

My eyes connected with Jim's, sending my heart into a burst of flutters.

Man I seriously hate that feeling.

Jim watched me expectantly.

I sighed, continuing to feel my damaged skin. "You give up a few things, chasing a dream, searching for answers, looking for the ones who matter most to you," I shook my head at the painful memory, "the wound was so deep, the doctors were surprised that the left half of my face wasn't paralyzed. It's stayed the same color since the day it turned into a scar, and they told me it would lighten up in a few months."

"How long ago was that?"

"Six years ago."

Jim's eyes widened. "Wow…"

"Yeah."

"Was it worth it?"

"I sure hope it is."

* * *

><p><strong>YAYYY!:) So as I said before, this upcoming week is my week off, then on Sunday I'm heading off to Canada for a week!:D I'll try to get some writing done this week and hopefully update when I get back:3 You're guys's reviews really do help me out so feel free to tell me what you thought or why you liked this chapter! Also, if you have an idea, it would seriously give me some inspiration to work with and help update faster so think of someting awesome and PM it to me!:D Haha:p Also, I have a poll on my profile that you guys should check out too!:p See you all soon!:D<strong>

**~KeybladeGirl**


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